Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Development. 2011 Jan;138(2):183-95. doi: 10.1242/dev.046441.
During nervous system development, axons generate branches to connect with multiple synaptic targets. As with axon growth and guidance, axon branching is tightly controlled in order to establish functional neural circuits, yet the mechanisms that regulate this important process are less well understood. Here, we review recent advances in the study of several common branching processes in the vertebrate nervous system. By focusing on each step in these processes we illustrate how different types of branching are regulated by extracellular cues and neural activity, and highlight some common principles that underlie the establishment of complex neural circuits in vertebrate development.
在神经系统发育过程中，轴突会产生分支以与多个突触靶标连接。与轴突生长和导向一样，轴突分支受到严格控制，以建立功能性神经回路，但调节这一重要过程的机制还不太清楚。在这里，我们综述了脊椎动物神经系统中几种常见分支过程研究的最新进展。通过关注这些过程中的每一个步骤，我们说明了不同类型的分支是如何受到细胞外线索和神经活动的调节的，并强调了在脊椎动物发育过程中建立复杂神经回路的一些共同原则。
