1932

Abstract

The most impressive structural feature of the nervous system is the specificity of its synaptic connections. Even after axons have navigated long distances to reach target areas, they must still choose appropriate synaptic partners from the many potential partners within easy reach. In many cases, axons also select a particular domain of the postsynaptic cell on which to form a synapse. Thus, synapse formation is selective at both cellular and subcellular levels. Unsurprisingly, the nervous system uses multiple mechanisms to ensure proper connectivity; these include complementary labels, coordinated growth of synaptic partners, sorting of afferents, prohibition or elimination of inappropriate synapses, respecification of targets, and use of short-range guidance mechanisms or intermediate targets. Specification of any circuit is likely to involve integration of multiple mechanisms. Recent studies of vertebrate and invertebrate systems have led to the identification of molecules that mediate a few of these interactions.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.cellbio.24.110707.175402
2009-11-10
2024-03-28
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.cellbio.24.110707.175402
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.cellbio.24.110707.175402
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error