Growth cone travel in space and time: the cellular ensemble of cytoskeleton adhesion and membrane

摘要

Growth cones, found at the tip of axonal projections, are the sensory and motile organelles of developing neurons that enable axon pathfinding and target recognition for precise wiring of neural circuitry. To date, many families of conserved guidance molecules and their corresponding receptors have been identified that work in space and time to ensure billions of axons to their targets. Research in the past two decades has also gained significant insight into the mechanisms by which growth cones translate extracellular signals into directional migration. This review aims to examine new progress towards understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying directional motility of the growth cone and to discuss questions that remain to be addressed. Specifically we will focus on the cellular ensemble of cytoskeleton, adhesion, and membrane and examine how the intricate interplay between these processes orchestrates the directed movement of growth cones.