Ubiquitination Inhibits Neuronal Exit

摘要

In the developing brain, neurons increase their numbers in an "amplification compartment," from which they emigrate to colonize distant brain structures. How young neurons leave these compartments, however, has been unclear, although researchers have hypothesized that they turn on a biochemical "migration program" that enables them to exit. On page 1834 of this issue, however, Famulski et al. (1) show that one common type of neuron uses an opposite strategy. To exit, young cerebellar granule neurons shut down a protein ubiquitination mechanism that inhibits the formation of a molecular complex that controls adhesion and allows the neurons to migrate to a final destination.