Electrical activity modulates growth cone guidance by diffusible factors.
Brief periods of electrical stimulation of cultured Xenopus spinal neurons resulted in a marked alteration in the turning responses of the growth cone induced by gradients of attractive or repulsive guidance cues. Netrin-1-induced attraction was enhanced, and the repulsion induced by myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) or myelin membrane fragments was converted to attraction. The effect required the presence of extracellular Ca(2+) during electrical stimulation and appeared to be mediated by an elevation of both cytoplasmic Ca(2+) and cAMP. Thus, electrical activity may influence the axonal path finding of developing neurons, and intermittent electrical stimulation may be effective in promoting nerve regeneration after injury.
Ming
G
G
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Henley
J
J
Tessier-Lavigne
M
M
Song
H
H
Poo
M
M
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002633:Chemotaxis; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018992:Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000075388:Netrin-1; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D040121:Semaphorin-3A; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D014981:Xenopus
D006023:Glycoproteins; D018992:Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D040121:Semaphorin-3A; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D000075388:Netrin-1; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D002118:Calcium