Abstract
Homer proteins are a family of multidomain cytosolic proteins that have been postulated to serve as scaffold proteins that affect responses to extracellular signals by regulating protein-protein interactions. We tested whether Homer proteins are involved in axon pathfinding in vivo, by expressing both wild-type and mutant isoforms of Homer in Xenopus optic tectal neurons. Time-lapse imaging demonstrated that interfering with the ability of endogenous Homer to form protein-protein interactions resulted in axon pathfinding errors at stereotypical choice points. These data demonstrate a function for scaffold proteins such as Homer in axon guidance. Homer may facilitate signal transduction from cell-surface receptors to intracellular proteins that govern the establishment of axon trajectories.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 499-506 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Nature neuroscience |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2001 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience