Signaling Molecules Found that Direct Axon Growth

The study was published March 16, 2003, in the online edition of Nature.

Investigators from the Salk Institute (La Jolla, CA, USA) found that a protein called Wnt5, a member of a large family of signaling molecules, became bound to a receptor called Derailed that is present on the surface of growing nerve cells.

In nervous systems with bilateral symmetry, many neurons project axons across the midline to the opposite side. The current study revealed an unexpected role in axon guidance for a Wnt family member and showed that the Derailed receptor is an essential component of Wnt signalling in these guidance events.




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