Press release

Pressrelease (In Japanese only)

The midline barrier plays a critical role in midline axon guidance, which is fundamental to the formation of neural circuits that are responsible for proper left-right coordination of our body. Studies have revealed some of the mechanisms underlying how the midline barrier navigates axons. In contrast, the establishment of the midline barrier during embryonic development remains unclear. In this study, Katori et al. determined that α-chimaerin is required for the formation of an intact midline barrier. Spinal cord-specific α-chimaerin knockout mice had spinal midline barriers with numerous breaks (holes), through which corticospinal axons aberrantly crossed the midline. Katori et al. propose that α-chimaerin protects the midline barrier by mediating cell repulsive signaling in juxta-midline cells, which prevents these cells from invading the midline.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience 26 July 2017, 3123-16;
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3123-16.2017