Slits and Their Receptors

Alain Chédotal

Slit was identified in Drosophila embryo as a gene involved in the patterning of larval cuticle. It was later shown that Slit is synthesized in the fly central nervous system by midline glia cells. Slit homologues have since been found in C. elegans and many vertebrate species, from amphibians, fish...

Structural and Functional Relation of Neuropilins

Neuropilin is a type I transmembrane protein and the molecular mass is 120 kDa. Two homologues, Neuropilin-1 and -2, are identified. The primary structure of Neuropilin-1 and Neuropilin-2 is well conserved and is divided into four domains, CUB (a1/a2) domain, FV/FVIII (b1/b2) domain, MAM...

The Function of Neuropilin / L1 Complex

V. Castellani

L1, a cell adhesion molecule of the Ig superfamily (IgCAM) plays a critical role in the formation of neuronal networks. This is reflected by the variety of clinical signs associated with the X-linked recessive neurological disorder that is caused by mutations in the L1 gene. L1 regulates...

The Function of Neuropilin/Plexin Complexes

Andreas W. Püschel

Neuropilins bind the secreted class 3 semaphorins with high affinity but require a member of the plexin family to form receptors that are able to activate downstream signal transduction cascades. In this receptor complex neuropilins act as the ligandbinding subunit while plexins function...

The Interaction of Neuropilin-1 and Neuropilin-2 with Tyrosine-Kinase Receptors or VEGF

Gera Neufeld, Ofra Kessler and Yael Herzog

The Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) receptors were initially described as receptors for axon guidance factors belonging to the class-3 Semaphorin sub-family. Subsequently, it was found the Neuropilins also function as receptors for some forms of vascular endothelial growth...

The Role of BDNF in Epilepsy and Other Diseases of the Mature Nervous System

Devin K. Binder

The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is ubiquitous in the central nervous system (CNS) throughout life. In addition to trophic effects on target neurons, BDNF appears to be part of a general mechanism for activity-dependent modification of synapses in the developing and adult...

The Role of Cell Adhesion Molecules in Axon Growth and Guidance

Hiroyuki Kamiguchi

During development, axons elongate along the correct path toward their final targets. Growing axons maintain adhesive interactions with specific environmental cues via cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). The axon-environment adhesion must be dynamically controlled, both temporally and spatially, to enab...

The Role of Cyclic Nucleotides in Axon Guidance

Michael Piper, Francis van Horck and Christine Holt

During the formation of the nervous system, axonal growth cones navigate through the complex environment of the developing embryo to innervate their targets. Growth cones achieve this formidable feat by responding to attractive or repulsive guidance cues expressed at specific points along the trajec...

The Role of Glial Cells in Axon Guidance, Fasciculation and Targeting

Anabel R. Learte and Alicia Hidalgo

Axons navigate step-wise, from one intermediate target to the next, until they reach their final destination target. In the central nervous system, intermediate targets are often glial cells, and final targeting is also aided by glia. In the peripheral nervous system, however, glial cells most often...

The Role of Neuropilin in Vascular and Tumor Biology

Michael Klagsbrun, Seiji Takashima and Roni Mamluk

Neuropilin1 (NRP1) and NRP2 are related transmembrane receptors that function as mediators of neuronal guidance and angiogenesis. NRPs bind members of the class 3 semaphorin family, regulators of neuronal guidance, and of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of angiogenes...

The Tetanus Toxin Model of Chronic Epilepsy

Timothy A. Benke and John Swann

In experimental models of epilepsy, single and recurrent seizures are often used in an attempt to determine the effects of the seizures themselves on mammalian brain function. These models attempt to emulate as many features as possible of their human disease counterparts without many of the conf...

Using the Immune System to Target Epilepsy

Deborah Young and Matthew J. During

The sudden and transient disruption from normal brain function by the disordered, synchronous and rhythmic firing of populations of neurons or seizures is the common feature of a diverse collection of disease syndromes collectively called the epilepsies. The epilepsies are estimated to affect 1-2...

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in Seizures: A Double-Edged Sword

Susan D. Croll, Jeffrey H. Goodman and Helen E. Scharfman

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a vascular growth factor which induces angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels), vascular permeability, and inflammation. In brain, receptors for VEGF have been localized to vascular endothelium, neurons, and glia. VEGF is upregulated after ...