Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Trends Cell Biol. 2011 Oct;21(10):577-84. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2011.08.003. Epub 2011 Sep 8.
Understanding the mechanisms of axon regeneration is of great importance to the development of therapeutic treatments for spinal cord injury or stroke. Axon regeneration has long been studied in diverse vertebrate and invertebrate models, but until recently had not been analyzed in the genetically tractable model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. The small size, simple neuroanatomy, and transparency of C. elegans allows single fluorescently labeled axons to be severed in live animals using laser microsurgery. Many neurons in C. elegans are capable of regenerative regrowth, and can in some cases re-establish functional connections. Large-scale genetic screens have begun to elucidate the genetic basis of axon regrowth.
理解轴突再生的机制对于开发脊髓损伤或中风的治疗方法具有重要意义。轴突再生在各种脊椎动物和无脊椎动物模型中已经进行了长期研究，但直到最近才在遗传上可操作的模式生物秀丽隐杆线虫中进行分析。秀丽隐杆线虫体积小、神经解剖结构简单且透明，这使得活体动物中可以使用激光显微手术切断单个荧光标记的轴突。线虫中的许多神经元都能够进行再生性生长，并在某些情况下重新建立功能连接。大规模的遗传筛选已经开始阐明轴突再生的遗传基础。
