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First published online December 21, 2006

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ß-Spectrin holds the line

- and ß-Spectrins connect actin filaments of the cytoskeletal network to integral plasma membrane proteins and have structural roles in red blood cells, and also in protein targeting and membrane formation in non-erythroid cells. On p. 273, Greg Bashaw and colleagues demonstrate a role for ß-Spectrin in repulsive midline axon guidance and in the maintenance of axon connections in the Drosophila embryonic CNS. In ß-Spectrin mutant embryos, axons inappropriately cross the midline; however, these defects are rescued by expressing a form of ß-Spectrin that carries mutated Ankyrin and Plekstrin Homology (PH) domains, indicating that axon repulsion occurs independently of these domains. ß-Spectrin may contribute to Slit-Robo-mediated axon repulsion during growth cone migration, as a dose-dependent genetic interaction is demonstrated between ß-Spectrin and the Slit-Robo pathway. As such, ß-Spectrin could, the authors speculate, play a key role in maintaining the membrane domains that contain guidance molecules, providing a link between the signalling pathways involved and membrane dynamics.

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Related articles in Development:

ß-Spectrin functions independently of Ankyrin to regulate the establishment and maintenance of axon connections in the Drosophila embryonic CNS

David S. Garbe, Amlan Das, Ronald R. Dubreuil, and Greg J. Bashaw
Development 2007 134: 273-284. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in Development Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?