Adhesion molecules in establishing retinal circuitry.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2009
Keywords
Cell-Adhesion, Cell-Adhesion-Molecules, Chick-Embryo, Drosophila, Mice, Nerve-Net, Retina, Retinal-Neurons
First Page
389
Last Page
394
JAX Source
Curr Opin Neurobiol 2009 Aug; 19(4):389-94.
Abstract
The formation of neural circuits requires molecular mechanisms to confer cell identity, to establish appropriate dendritic arbors, and to space cell bodies within the groups of homotypic neurons. Recent work in a variety of organisms has implicated cell adhesion molecules in these processes. The DSCAMs in particular have functions including cell identity and self-avoidance through repulsion in Drosophila, differential adhesion and synaptic pairing in chick retina, and the masking of adhesion within specific cell types in the mouse retina. These differences in molecular function between different organisms, and potentially different cell types within a single tissue, emphasize how seemingly subtle distinctions may be important for deciphering this molecular adhesion code.
Recommended Citation
Fuerst PG,
Burgess RW.
Adhesion molecules in establishing retinal circuitry. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2009 Aug; 19(4):389-94.