Yaron Avraham, Zheng Binhai
Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Dev Neurobiol. 2007 Aug;67(9):1216-31. doi: 10.1002/dneu.20512.
The mechanisms underlying formation of the basic network of the nervous system are of fundamental interest in developmental neurobiology. During the wiring of the nervous system, newborn neurons send axons that travel long distances to their targets. These axons are directed by environmental cues, known as guidance cues, to their correct destinations. Through extensive studies in vertebrates and invertebrates many of the guidance cues and their receptors have been identified. Recently, guidance molecules have been suggested to have important roles in pathological conditions of the nervous system. Mutations in guidance receptors have been associated with hereditary neurological disorders, and deregulation of guidance cues might be associated with predisposition to epilepsy. In addition, it was suggested that guidance molecules play roles in the ability of the adult nervous system to recover and repair after injury. Thus, molecules that were first discovered as "developmental cues" are now emerging as important factors in neurological disease and injury in the adult.
神经系统基本网络形成的潜在机制是发育神经生物学中至关重要的研究内容。在神经系统布线过程中，新生神经元发出轴突，这些轴突会远距离延伸至其目标位置。这些轴突由被称为导向线索的环境信号引导至正确的目的地。通过对脊椎动物和无脊椎动物的广泛研究，许多导向线索及其受体已被识别。最近，有研究表明导向分子在神经系统的病理状况中发挥重要作用。导向受体的突变与遗传性神经疾病有关，导向线索的失调可能与癫痫易感性有关。此外，有研究指出导向分子在成体神经系统损伤后的恢复和修复能力中发挥作用。因此，最初被发现为“发育线索”的分子如今正成为成人神经疾病和损伤中的重要因素。
