Axon guidance by growth-rate modulation

作者：Mortimer Duncan; Pujic Zac; Vaughan Timothy; Thompson Andrew W; Feldner Julia; Vetter Irina; Goodhill Geoffrey J^*

来源：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010, 107(11): 5202-5207.

DOI：10.1073/pnas.0909254107

• chemotaxis
• growth cone
• nerve growth factor
• neural development
• computational neuroscience

Guidance of axons by molecular gradients is crucial for wiring up the developing nervous system. It often is assumed that the unique signature of such guidance is immediate and biased turning of the axon tip toward or away from the gradient. However, here we show that such turning is not required for guidance. Rather, by a combination of experimental and computational analyses, we demonstrate that growth-rate modulation is an alternative mechanism for guidance. Furthermore we show that, although both mechanisms may operate simultaneously, biased turning dominates in steep gradients, whereas growth-rate modulation may dominate in shallow gradients. These results suggest that biased axon turning is not the only method by which guidance can occur.

• 出版日期2010-3-16