title: Preserve and protect: maintaining axons within functional circuits.
abstract: During development, neural circuits are initially generated by exuberant innervation and are rapidly refined by selective preservation and elimination of axons. The establishment and maintenance of functional circuits therefore requires coordination of axon survival and degeneration pathways. Both developing and mature circuits rely on interdependent mitochondrial and cytoskeletal components to maintain axonal health and homeostasis; injury or diseases that impinge on these components frequently cause pathologic axon loss. Here, we review recent findings that identify mechanisms of axonal preservation in the contexts of development, injury, and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Pease
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: rosalind_segal@dfci.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Rosalind A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Segal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014855:Wallerian Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Wallerian degeneration; axon injury; axon maintenance; axon survival; neurodegeneration; neurotrophins