Mechanisms of axonal plasticity.
GAP-43 plays an important role in axonal plasticity by guiding growth cones rather than supporting axonal elongation. In Purkinje cells that show no regenerative responses and no GAP-43 expression after axotomy, the simple addition of GAP-43 gene induces the formation of branched plexuses typical of sprouting growth. Purkinje cells can express some growth-associated proteins, but never GAP-43, when axotomy is made very close to cell body or when an antibody for the myelin-associated inhibitory molecules is applied to intact cells both in vivo and in vitro. Also in these conditions they are unable to show new axonal profiles even in a permissive environment that allows inferior olive cells to regenerate and reinnervate their target cells. We suggest that GAP-43 is a key molecule to initiate axon growth while other genes are necessary to develop a full regenerative program.
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Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Torino, Italy.
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D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000502:physiology
D019922:GAP-43 Protein