title: The role of cell adhesion molecules in axon growth and guidance.
abstract: During development, axons elongate along the correct path toward their final targets. Growing axons maintain adhesive interactions with specific environmental cues via cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). The axon-environment adhesion must be dynamically controlled, both temporally and spatially, to enable the axons to navigate and migrate correctly. In this way, CAMs play a central role in mediating contact-dependent regulation of motile behavior of the axons. This chapter examines the mechanisms underlying how CAMs control axon growth and guidance, with a particular focus on intracellular signaling, trafficking, and interactions with the actin cytoskeleton.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neuronal Growth Mechanisms, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. kamiguchi@brain.riken.jp
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000502:physiology*; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules