Congenital diseases and semaphorin signaling: overview to date of the evidence linking them.
Semaphorins and their receptors, neuropilins and plexins, were initially characterized as a modulator of axonal guidance during development, but are now recognized as a regulator of a wide range of developmental events including morphogenesis and angiogenesis, and activities of the immune system. Owing to the development of next-generation sequencing technologies together with other useful DNA assays, it has also become clear that semaphorin signaling plays a crucial role in many congenital diseases such as retinal degeneration and congenital heart defects. This review summarizes the recent knowledge about the relationship between a variety of congenital diseases and semaphorin signaling.
Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Tomoyuki
T
Masuda
Masahiko
M
Taniguchi
D000818:Animals; D058747:CHARGE Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D006627:Hirschsprung Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017436:Kallmann Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism; D012587:Scimitar Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D039961:Semaphorins / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000378:metabolism; D014339:Truncus Arteriosus, Persistent / Q000378:metabolism
D039961:Semaphorins
congenital heart defects; plexin; retinal degeneration; semaphorin