Neuron cell bodies switch gene programs to steer growing axons, study finds
A new discovery by neuroscientists at Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science challenges long-held beliefs in neurobiology about how neurons extend axons to reach their targets.
Neuroscientists at Brown University's Carney Institute have uncovered a groundbreaking mechanism by which neurons guide their axons during development. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study reveals that axons switch on and off entire groups of genes within the cell body, orchestrating the complex process of axon pathfinding.
Until now, it was believed that axon tips alone controlled their direction, but the researchers discovered that the genetic switch occurs in the neuron's cell body. This discovery, published in a paper titled "Gene expression programs underlying spinal commissural neuron differentiation and axon growth across the midline," provides a genetic atlas of neuronal development and could aid in understanding axon repair in conditions like stroke and spinal cord injuries.
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