de Anda Froylan Calderon, Tsai Li-Huei
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Picower Institute for Learning and Memory; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA USA.
Commun Integr Biol. 2011 May;4(3):304-7. doi: 10.4161/cib.4.3.14781. Epub 2011 May 1.
The shape of a neuron supplies valuable clues as to its function. Neurons typically extend a single long, thin axon, which will transmit signals and several shorter and thicker dendrites, which will receive signals. The understanding of the means by which neurons acquire a polarized morphology is a fundamental issue in developmental neurobiology. The current view suggests that axon selection involves a stochastic mechanism. However, new data suggest that a polarized cytoplasm not only determines the position of neurite emergence, but also sets the conditions for morphological polarization. In vertebrates, neurons migrate before establishing their final morphology. Recent work shows that the polarized cytoplasm also determines how neurons migrate. Thus, neuronal migration might influence the processes by which neurons form an axon.
神经元的形状为其功能提供了有价值的线索。神经元通常伸出一条单一的长而细的轴突，用于传递信号，还有几条短而粗的树突，用于接收信号。理解神经元形成极化形态的方式是发育神经生物学中的一个基本问题。目前的观点认为轴突选择涉及一种随机机制。然而，新的数据表明，极化的细胞质不仅决定了神经突出现的位置，还为形态极化设定了条件。在脊椎动物中，神经元在确定其最终形态之前会迁移。最近的研究表明，极化的细胞质还决定了神经元的迁移方式。因此，神经元迁移可能会影响神经元形成轴突的过程。
