Adaptation in the chemotactic guidance of nerve growth cones

Guo-li Ming (), Scott T. Wong, John Henley, Xiao-bing Yuan, Hong-jun Song, Nicholas C. Spitzer and Mu-ming Poo ()
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Guo-li Ming: University of California at San Diego
Scott T. Wong: University of California
John Henley: University of California
Xiao-bing Yuan: University of California
Hong-jun Song: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Nicholas C. Spitzer: University of California at San Diego
Mu-ming Poo: University of California

Nature, 2002, vol. 417, issue 6887, 411-418

Abstract: Abstract Pathfinding by growing axons in the developing nervous system may be guided by gradients of extracellular guidance factors. Analogous to the process of chemotaxis in microorganisms, we found that axonal growth cones of cultured Xenopus spinal neurons exhibit adaptation during chemotactic migration, undergoing consecutive phases of desensitization and resensitization in the presence of increasing basal concentrations of the guidance factor netrin-1 or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The desensitization is specific to the guidance factor and is accompanied by a reduction of Ca2+ signalling, whereas resensitization requires activation of mitogen-associated protein kinase and local protein synthesis. Such adaptive behaviour allows the growth cone to re-adjust its sensitivity over a wide range of concentrations of the guidance factor, an essential feature for long-range chemotaxis.

Date: 2002
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DOI: 10.1038/nature745

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