The guanine nucleotide exchange factor Arhgef7/βPix promotes axon formation upstream of TC10.

ABSTRACT: The characteristic six layers of the mammalian neocortex develop sequentially as neurons are generated by neural progenitors and subsequently migrate past older neurons to their final position in the cortical plate. One of the earliest steps of neuronal differentiation is the formation of an axon. Small GTPases play essential roles during this process by regulating cytoskeletal dynamics and intracellular trafficking. While the function of GTPases has been studied extensively in cultured neurons and in vivo much less is known about their upstream regulators. Here we show that Arhgef7 (also called βPix or Cool1) is essential for axon formation during cortical development. The loss of Arhgef7 results in an extensive loss of axons in cultured neurons and in the developing cortex. Arhgef7 is a

SUBMITTER: Lopez Tobon A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5995858 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature