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.
Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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Ming
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Henley
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Tessier-Lavigne
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Song
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Poo
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