| First Author | Shirasaki R | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Neuron | Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 841-53 |
| PubMed ID | 16772167 | Mgi Jnum | J:122940 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3716009 | Doi | 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.04.030 |
| Citation | Shirasaki R, et al. (2006) FGF as a target-derived chemoattractant for developing motor axons genetically programmed by the LIM code. Neuron 50(6):841-53 |
| abstractText | LIM transcription factors confer developing axons with specific navigational properties, but the downstream guidance receptors and ligands are not well defined. The dermomyotome, a transient structure from which axial muscles arise, is the source of a secreted long-range chemoattractant specific for medial-class spinal motor neuron axons (MMCm axons). We show that fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) produced by the dermomyotome selectively attract MMCm axons in vitro. FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) expression is restricted to MMCm neurons, and conditional deletion of FGFR1 causes motor axon guidance defects. Furthermore, reprogramming the identity of limb-innervating motor neurons to that of dermomyotome-innervating MMCm cells using the LIM factor Lhx3 induces FGFR1 expression and shifts an increased number of motor axons to an FGF-responsive state. These results point to a role for FGF signaling in axon guidance and further unravel how downstream effectors of LIM codes direct wiring of the developing nervous system. |
