Editor's Summary
13 September 2007
Wiring diagram
The complexity and specificity of neuronal wiring implies the existence of a cellular recognition code that allows neurons to distinguish between one another. The remarkable diversity of the immunoglobulin superfamily protein Dscam (for Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule) may be part of that system. Dscam plays a crucial role in making Drosophila neurons able to distinguish between self and non-self, and is essential to patterning neural circuits.
Letter: Dscam diversity is essential for neuronal wiring and self-recognition
Daisuke Hattori, Ebru Demir, Ho Won Kim, Erika Viragh, S. Lawrence Zipursky & Barry J. Dickson
doi:10.1038/nature06099
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