To ensure that the correct pattern of neuronal connections is achieved during brain development, axonal outgrowth is controlled both by adhesion to early outgrowing axons (pioneers) and by a number of different extracellular signals. On p. 5307,Harald Hutter describes how, in the ventral cord of C. elegans,different groups of axons in the same axon bundle use different combinations of these guidance cues to navigate. For his experiments, Hutter generated transgenic worms in which different GFP markers were expressed in subsets of neurons with axons in the ventral cord. He then examined the trajectories of individual axons after laser ablation of specific pioneer neurons. His results indicate that axons within the ventral cord navigate largely independently of each other, and that some axons can find their way in the absence of pioneer neurons.
Navigating the maze of brain development
Navigating the maze of brain development. Development 15 November 2003; 130 (22): e2201. doi:
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