First published online November 11, 2004
Development 131, 2306e (2004)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
New role for Slit and Robo
The construction of the anatomically distinct processing centres of the
brain requires the strict segregation of adjacent groups of cells during
morphogenesis. On p.
5935, Tayler and
co-workers report that Slit and the Robo proteins, molecules that are better
known for their role in axon guidance, control the compartmentalisation of
visual centres during Drosophila brain development. They show that
the secreted protein Slit surrounds the lamina glia and that the three fly
Robo proteins (receptors for Slit) are expressed in distal cell neurons in the
lobula cortex. Loss of Slit expression or inhibition of Robo causes
the lamina glia and distal cell neurons to intermingle. Thus, Slit keeps
Robo-expressing neurons within the confines of the lobula cortex and
establishes a sharp boundary between the lamina and lobula. In another paper,
Bénard and colleagues describe MAU-2, a novel Caenorhabditis
elegans axon guidance factor (see p.
5947). Whether MAU-2,
like Slit and Robo, has additional functions remains to be seen.
Related articles in Development:
- Compartmentalization of visual centers in the Drosophila brain requires Slit and Robo proteins
- Timothy D. Tayler, Myles B. Robichaux, and Paul A. Garrity
Development 2004 131: 5935-5945.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
- mau-2 acts cell-autonomously to guide axonal migrations in Caenorhabditis elegans
- Claire Y. Bénard, Hania Kébir, Shin Takagi, and Siegfried Hekimi
Development 2004 131: 5947-5958.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
