Interplay between adhesion turnover and cytoskeleton dynamics in the control of growth cone migration.

1. Cell Adh Migr. 2008 Oct-Dec;2(4):263-7. Epub 2008 Oct 24.

Interplay between adhesion turnover and cytoskeleton dynamics in the control of
growth cone migration.

Thoumine O(1).

Author information:
(1)CNRS UMR 5091, Institut Magendie, Université Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France.

The migration of neuronal growth cones, driving axon extension, is a fascinating
process which has been subject of intense investigation over several decades.
Many of the key underlying molecules, in particular adhesion proteins at the cell
membrane which allow for target recognition and binding, and cytoskeleton
filaments and motors which power locomotion have been identified. However, the
precise mechanisms by which growth cones coordinate, in time and space, the
transmission of forces generated by the cytoskeleton to the turnover of adhesion
proteins are still partly unresolved. To get a better grasp at these processes,
we put here in relation the turnover rate of ligand/receptor adhesions and the
degree of mechanical coupling between cell adhesion receptors and the actin
rearward flow. These parameters were obtained recently for N-cadherin and IgCAM
based adhesions using ligand-coated microspheres in combination with optical
tweezers and photo-bleaching experiments. We show that the speed of growth cone
migration requires both a fairly rapid adhesion dynamics and a strong physical
connection between adhesive sites and the cytoskeleton.

DOI: 10.4161/cam.2.4.7274
PMCID: PMC2637485
PMID: 19262147 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Auteurs Bordeaux Neurocampus