http://nro.sagepub.com/content/19/1/16.abstract
Abstract
Axon branching is a complex morphological
process, the regulation of which we are just beginning to understand.
Many factors
known to be important for axon growth and guidance
have emerged as key regulators of axon branching. The extrinsic factors
implicated in axon branching include traditional
axon guidance cues such as the slits, semaphorins, and ephrins;
neurotrophins
such as BDNF; the secreted glycoprotein Wnt; the
extracellular matrix protein anosmin-1; and certain transmembrane cell
adhesion
molecules—as well as sensory experience and
neuronal activity. Although less is known about the intracellular
control of axon
branching, in recent years significant advances
have been made in this area. Kinases and their regulators, Rho GTPases
and
their regulators, transcription factors, ubiquitin
ligases, and several microtubule and actin-binding proteins are now
implicated
in the control of axon branching. It is likely that
many more branching regulators remain to be discovered, as do the links
between extrinsic cues and intracellular signaling
proteins in the control of axon branching.
