Axon guidance: opposing EPHects in the growth cone.
Cells communicate with other cells via (trans) interaction between membrane-linked ephrins and Eph receptors. In this issue of Cell, Pfaff and colleagues (Marquardt et al., 2005) demonstrate that coexpressed ephrin-As and Ephs do not interact in cis but rather segregate into separate membrane domains, from which they signal opposing effects during motor axon guidance.
Klein
Rüdiger
R
Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max-Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Munich-Martinsried, Germany.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D002451:Cell Compartmentation / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D036342:Ephrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000502:physiology*; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D036081:Receptors, Eph Family / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
D036342:Ephrins; D036081:Receptors, Eph Family