Division of Research, Genentech, South San Francisco, California, USA.
Nat Neurosci. 2012 Feb 5;15(3):367-9. doi: 10.1038/nn.3037.
Axons travel to their targets in bundles or fascicles, but the molecules regulating fasciculation remain incompletely characterized. We found that Slit2 and its Robo receptors are expressed by motor axons, and that inactivation of Slit2 or Robo1 and Robo2 in mice caused axons to defasciculate prematurely at muscle targets. In vitro, Slit2 secreted by motoneurons regulated fasciculation through Robo1 and Robo2. These results support the idea that Slit2 promotes axon fasciculation via an autocrine and/or juxtaparacrine mechanism.
轴突以束或纤维的形式到达其靶标，但调节纤维形成的分子仍未完全表征。我们发现 Slit2 及其 Robo 受体由运动轴突表达，并且在小鼠中 Slit2 或 Robo1 和 Robo2 的失活导致轴突在肌肉靶标处过早解聚。在体外，运动神经元分泌的 Slit2 通过 Robo1 和 Robo2 调节纤维形成。这些结果支持 Slit2 通过自分泌和/或旁分泌机制促进轴突纤维形成的观点。
