title: Dendritic self-avoidance: protocadherins have it covered.
abstract: Dendrites exhibit self-avoidance, in which branches of the same neuron repel each other while overlapping with branches from neighboring neurons. A recent paper by Lefebvre and colleagues reveals that clustered protocadherins provide a basis for neuronal recognition during dendrite self-avoidance in vertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St. P&S 12-403, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Phuong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hoang
authors.forename: Wesley B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Grueber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins