Axonal ephrinA/EphA interactions, and the emergence of order in topographic projections

TY - JOUR

T1 - Axonal ephrinA/EphA interactions, and the emergence of order in topographic projections

AU - Suetterlin, Philipp

AU - Marler, Katharine M.

AU - Drescher, Uwe

PY - 2012/2

Y1 - 2012/2

N2 - In the classical view of axon guidance, neurons send out axons which are endowed with guidance receptors enabling them to find their (distant) target areas by an interaction with their ligands expressed in specific spatio-temporal patterns along their pathways and in their target area. However, this view has recently been confounded by more detailed analyses of, for example, the expression patterns of EphAs and ephrinAs in the retinotectal projection. Here ephrinA 'ligands' are expressed not only in the target area but also on the projecting RGC axons, and EphA 'receptors' not only on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons but also in the target area itself. This review describes the on-going functional characterisation of the surprising co-expression of ephrinAs and EphAs on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons and other cell types. It also investigates the function of ephrinAs as receptors and describes their interaction with co-receptors involved in mediating this function. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

AB - In the classical view of axon guidance, neurons send out axons which are endowed with guidance receptors enabling them to find their (distant) target areas by an interaction with their ligands expressed in specific spatio-temporal patterns along their pathways and in their target area. However, this view has recently been confounded by more detailed analyses of, for example, the expression patterns of EphAs and ephrinAs in the retinotectal projection. Here ephrinA 'ligands' are expressed not only in the target area but also on the projecting RGC axons, and EphA 'receptors' not only on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons but also in the target area itself. This review describes the on-going functional characterisation of the surprising co-expression of ephrinAs and EphAs on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons and other cell types. It also investigates the function of ephrinAs as receptors and describes their interaction with co-receptors involved in mediating this function. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U2 - 10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.10.015

DO - 10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.10.015

M3 - Literature review

VL - 23

SP - 1

EP - 6

JO - Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology

JF - Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology

IS - 1

ER -