Overview
- Editors:
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Dominique Bagnard
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Maître de Conférences, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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- Anil Bagri, Marc Tessier-Lavigne
Pages 13-31
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- Michael Klagsbrun, Seiji Takashima, Roni Mamluk
Pages 33-48
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- Paul-Henri Romeo, Valérie Lemarchandel, Rafaele Tordjman
Pages 49-54
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- Fumio Nakamura, Yoshio Goshima
Pages 55-69
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- Gera Neufeld, Ofra Kessler, Yael Herzog
Pages 81-90
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- Joëlle Roche, Harry Drabkin, Elisabeth Brambilla
Pages 103-114
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- Fred De Winter, Anthony J. G. D. Holtmaat, Joost Verhaagen
Pages 115-139
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Back Matter
Pages 141-142
About this book
Cell adhesion is one of the most important properties controlling embryonic development. Extremely precise cell-cell contacts are established according to the nature of adhesion molecules that are expressed on the cell surface. The identifica tion of several families of adhesion molecules, well conserved throughout evolu tion, has been the basis of a considerable amount of work over the past 20 years that contributed to establish functions of cell adhesion in almost all organs. Nowadays, cell adhesion molecules are not just considered as cellular glue but are thought to play critical roles in cell signaling. Their ability to influence cell proliferation, mi gration, or differentiation depends on both cell surface adhesion properties and acti vation of intracellular pathways. The next challenge will be to understand how these molecules interact with each other to ensure specific functions in the morphogen esis of very sophisticated systems. Indeed, by exploring the cellular and molecular mechanisms of nervous system development, the group of H. Fujisawa in Japan identified in 1987 an adhesion molecule, neuropilin, highly expressed in the neuro pile of amphibian optic tectum. Ten years later, two groups discovered that neuropilin is a receptor for guidance signals of the semaphorin family. Axon guidance is a critical step during brain development and the mechanisms ensuring growth cone navigation are beginning to be well understood. The semaphorins are bifunctional signals defining permissive or inhibitory pathways sensed by the growth cone.
Editors and Affiliations
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Maître de Conférences, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
Dominique Bagnard
