Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Dev Dyn. 2010 May;239(5):1296-305. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.22225.
The Netrin family of extracellular ligands and their receptors were the first identified signaling pathway regulating axon guidance. Subsequent work across model systems has begun to reveal the interactions that take place downstream of Netrin reception to facilitate growth cone migration. Though intensely studied, many aspects of this signaling system remain unclear. Even less understood are the growing number of contexts in which Netrin signaling influences cells beyond axon guidance and even outside the nervous system. Genetic and cell-biological studies in C. elegans have played an instrumental role in identifying critical functions for Netrin ligands in setting up specialized and potentially adhesive membrane-associated domains within a broad range of cell types. Here we review recent literature implicating Netrin or its receptors in morphogenetic processes outside of growth cone regulation with a special focus on studies in C. elegans that suggest cell biological mechanisms for Netrin signaling.
网氨酸家族的细胞外配体及其受体是第一个被鉴定出来的调节轴突导向的信号通路。随后在不同的模型系统中的研究开始揭示网氨酸受体接受后的相互作用，以促进生长锥的迁移。尽管这项研究非常深入，但该信号系统的许多方面仍不清楚。更不为人知的是，越来越多的情况下，网氨酸信号不仅在轴突导向之外，甚至在神经系统之外，影响细胞。秀丽隐杆线虫中的遗传和细胞生物学研究在确定网氨酸配体在广泛的细胞类型中建立特殊的、可能具有粘附性的膜相关结构域方面发挥了重要作用。在这里，我们回顾了最近的文献，这些文献表明网氨酸或其受体在生长锥调节之外的形态发生过程中具有重要作用，特别关注秀丽隐杆线虫中的研究，这些研究为网氨酸信号提供了细胞生物学机制。
