1. Academic Validation
  2. Laminin stimulates and guides axonal outgrowth via growth cone myosin II activity

Laminin stimulates and guides axonal outgrowth via growth cone myosin II activity

  • Nat Neurosci. 2005 Jun;8(6):717-9. doi: 10.1038/nn1466.
Stephen G Turney 1 Paul C Bridgman
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Abstract

Guidance cues and signal transduction mechanisms acting at the nerve growth cone are fairly well understood, but the intracellular mechanisms operating to change the direction of axon outgrowth remain unknown. We now show that growth cones integrate Myosin II-dependent contraction for rapid, coordinated turning at borders of laminin stripes in response to signals from laminin-activated Integrin receptors; in the absence of Myosin II activity, outgrowth continues across the borders.

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