Abstract
Although cell migration is crucial for neural development, molecular mechanisms guiding neuronal migration have remained unclear. Here we report that the secreted protein Slit repels neuronal precursors migrating from the anterior subventricular zone in the telencephalon to the olfactory bulb. Our results provide a direct demonstration of a molecular cue whose concentration gradient guides the direction of migrating neurons. They also support a common guidance mechanism for axon projection and neuronal migration and suggest that Slit may provide a molecular tool with potential therapeutic applications in controlling and directing cell migration.
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Acknowledgements
We thank W. Yuan and D. Ornitz for mouse slit cDNAs; J. Xu, Q. Wang and L. Zhou for help with in situ hybridization; W. Gan and J. Lichtman for help with confocal imaging and analysis; J.Brunstrom and A. Pearlman for discussions; C. S. Goodman and M. Tessier-Lavigne for comments; NIH, NSFC and SCST for support; and the John Merck Fund, NSFC and the Leukemia Society of America for scholar awards (to Y.R. and J.Y.W.).
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Wu, W., Wong, K., Chen, Jh. et al. Directional guidance of neuronal migration in the olfactory system by the protein Slit. Nature 400, 331–336 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/22477
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/22477
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