Kishi Masashi
Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
J Neurosci Res. 2008 Feb 15;86(3):490-5. doi: 10.1002/jnr.21457.
Young neurons polarize by specializing axons and dendrites from immature neurites. After synapse formations, they transmit electrical activity along the axon-dendrite axis, thereby working as functional units of the neural circuits. This axon-dendrite asymmetry is referred to as neuronal polarity. Although a great number of cell biological studies in vitro had been performed, little was known about the molecular events that establish the polarity. In the last several years, rapid advancement in molecular and genetic studies has unraveled the multiple signaling pathways. This paper summarizes current perspectives on the cell and molecular biological mechanisms of the neuronal polarization, to clarify future directions in this growing research field.
年轻神经元通过将轴突和树突从不成熟的神经突中特化出来实现极化。突触形成后，它们沿轴突 - 树突轴传递电活动，从而作为神经回路的功能单元发挥作用。这种轴突 - 树突不对称性被称为神经元极性。尽管已经进行了大量的体外细胞生物学研究，但对于建立极性的分子事件却知之甚少。在过去几年中，分子和遗传学研究的快速进展揭示了多种信号通路。本文总结了关于神经元极化的细胞和分子生物学机制的当前观点，以阐明这个不断发展的研究领域的未来方向。
