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Commentary
Cellscience Reviews Vol 3 No 3
ISSN 1742-8130 |
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Signal integration by focal adhesion kinase at point contacts in growth cones
Lin Mei & Wen-Cheng Xiong
Developmental Neurobiology Program, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genomics
& Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA.
Received 22nd January © Cellscience 2007
Axon path-finding is a process where neuronal growth cones navigate to targets. It is essential for establishment of proper wiring in the brain. Growth cones are able to sense environmental cues and change the direction of neurite elongation. The coupling is critical for axonal guidance. However, less is known about underlying mechanisms. Recent studies suggest that the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a critical role in integrating signals from different extracellular cues to regulate neurite outgrowth and growth cone guidance.
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