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Nature 424, 381-382 (24 July 2003) | doi:10.1038/424381a

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Neurobiology: A new way to network

Patrick Mehlen

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Guidance molecules called semaphorins ensure that nerve cells grow in the correct direction during development. It now appears that one semaphorin interacts with integrin proteins to produce another effect.

During the development of the nervous system, nerve cells must extend projections called axons over considerable distances to construct a complex network of connections. How axons extend in the correct direction is conceptually simple: the extremity of the axon — the growth cone — explores its local environment for molecular cues, which guide it along the right trajectory.