VEGF signaling through neuropilin 1 guides commissural axon crossing at the optic chiasm.

Journal article

During development, the axons of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) neurons must decide whether to cross or avoid the midline at the optic chiasm to project to targets on both sides of the brain. By combining genetic analyses with in vitro assays, we show that neuropilin 1 (NRP1) promotes contralateral RGC projection in mammals. Unexpectedly, the NRP1 ligand involved is not an axon guidance cue of the class 3 semaphorin family, but VEGF164, the neuropilin-binding isoform of the classical vascular gr...

Expand abstract

Authors: Erskine, L; Reijntjes, S; Pratt, T; Denti, L; Schwarz, Q

• Journal: Neuron
• Volume: 70
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 951-965
• Publication date: 2011-06-01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.02.052
• EISSN: 1097-4199
• ISSN: 0896-6273
• Language: English
• Keywords: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; Functional Laterality; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Semaphorin-3A; Amino Acids; Indoles; Embryo, Mammalian; Mice, Knockout; Organ Culture Techniques; Optic Chiasm; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Mice; Neuropilin-2; Growth Cones; Neuropilin-1; Retina; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Signal Transduction; Axons; Age Factors; Animals