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Neurobiology

A new code for axons

Nature volume 409, pages 472–473 (2001)Cite this article

Neurons extend axons, which must grow along specific pathways during development. The discovery of particular patterns of expression of so-called Robo proteins provides clues to how axons find their way.

During development, neurons send out projections called axons, which must grow along an appropriate route — selecting from a multitude of possibilities — to reach their target. In organisms that are bilaterally symmetrical, many axons must also cross the central line (the midline) of the central nervous system, forming connections called commissures, which join the two sides of the body. Other axons, meanwhile, remain on one side. Four papers in Cell and Neuron1,2,3,4 now reveal the surprising result that, in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, a protein called Slit, expressed at the midline, has a say both in controlling midline crossing and in directing an axon's subsequent choice of route. These activities require the previously known Roundabout (Robo) protein, found on the surface of neurons, and two newly discovered members of the same family.

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Figure 1: Guiding axons across the midline of the central nervous system.
Figure 2: How axons choose their pathway either side of the midline. This model is suggested by two new papers3,4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, 4th Floor, New Hunt's House, Guy's Hospital Campus, King's College, London, SE1 1UL, UK

    Guy Tear

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  1. Guy Tear
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Correspondence to Guy Tear.

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Tear, G. A new code for axons. Nature 409, 472–473 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35054178

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