Acebes A, Ferrús A
The Instituto Cajal (CSIC), 28002, Madrid, Spain.
Trends Neurosci. 2000 Nov;23(11):557-65. doi: 10.1016/s0166-2236(00)01646-5.
Neural geometry is the major factor that determines connectivity and, possibly, functional output from a nervous system. Recently some of the proteins and pathways involved in specific modes of branch formation or maintenance, or both, have been described. To a variable extent, dendrites and axon collaterals can be viewed as dynamic structures subject to fine modulation that can result either in further growth or retraction. Each form of branching results from specific molecular mechanisms. Cell-internal, substrate-derived factors and functional activity, however, can often differ in their effect according to cell type and physiological context at the site of branch formation. Neural branching is not a linear process but an integrative one that takes place in a microenvironment where we have only a limited experimental access. To attain a coherent mechanism for this phenomenon, quantitative in situ data on the proteins involved and their interactions will be required.
神经几何学是决定神经系统连接性以及可能的功能输出的主要因素。最近，已经描述了一些参与特定分支形成或维持模式，或两者兼有的蛋白质和信号通路。在不同程度上，树突和轴突侧支可被视为动态结构，受到精细调节，这可能导致进一步生长或回缩。每种分支形式都由特定的分子机制产生。然而，细胞内部、底物衍生的因素和功能活动，其影响往往会因细胞类型和分支形成部位的生理背景而有所不同。神经分支不是一个线性过程，而是一个在我们仅有有限实验途径的微环境中发生的综合过程。为了获得关于这一现象的连贯机制，将需要有关所涉及蛋白质及其相互作用的定量原位数据。
