TY - JOUR
T1 - Eph and ephrin signaling
T2 - Lessons learned from spinal motor neurons
AU - Kao, Tzu Jen
AU - Law, Chris
AU - Kania, Artur
PY - 2012/2
Y1 - 2012/2
N2 - In nervous system assembly, Eph/ephrin signaling mediates many axon guidance events that shape the formation of precise neuronal connections. However, due to the complexity of interactions between Ephs and ephrins, the molecular logic of their action is still being unraveled. Considerable advances have been made by studying the innervation of the limb by spinal motor neurons, a series of events governed by Eph/ephrin signaling. Here, we discuss the contributions of different Eph/ephrin modes of interaction, downstream signaling and electrical activity, and how these systems may interact both with each other and with other guidance molecules in limb muscle innervation. This simple model system has emerged as a very powerful tool to study this set of molecules, and will continue to be so by virtue of its simplicity, accessibility and the wealth of pioneering cellular studies.
AB - In nervous system assembly, Eph/ephrin signaling mediates many axon guidance events that shape the formation of precise neuronal connections. However, due to the complexity of interactions between Ephs and ephrins, the molecular logic of their action is still being unraveled. Considerable advances have been made by studying the innervation of the limb by spinal motor neurons, a series of events governed by Eph/ephrin signaling. Here, we discuss the contributions of different Eph/ephrin modes of interaction, downstream signaling and electrical activity, and how these systems may interact both with each other and with other guidance molecules in limb muscle innervation. This simple model system has emerged as a very powerful tool to study this set of molecules, and will continue to be so by virtue of its simplicity, accessibility and the wealth of pioneering cellular studies.
KW - Axon guidance
KW - Eph
KW - Ephrin
KW - Motor neuron
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84857440794&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84857440794&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.10.016
DO - 10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.10.016
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22040916
AN - SCOPUS:84857440794
VL - 23
SP - 83
EP - 91
JO - Seminars in Cell Biology
JF - Seminars in Cell Biology
SN - 1084-9521
IS - 1
ER -