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Updated: Sep 3, 2026

Axon Stretch Growth: The Mechanotransduction of Neuronal Growth
Published on: August 10, 2011
Role of myosin II in axon outgrowth
Jacquelyn Brown1, Paul C Bridgman
1Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Abstract:
The initial stages of nerve outgrowth carried out by growth cones occur in three fundamental cyclic steps. Each of these steps appears to require myosin II activity to variable degrees. The steps include the following: (a) exploration, involving extensions and retractions that are driven and controlled by the interaction of actin retrograde flow and polymerization; (b) adhesion of new extensions to the substrate, which has been shown to be mediated by complex interactions between extracellular matrix proteins, cell adhesion proteins, and the actin cytoskeleton; and (c) traction force generated during forward advance of the growth cone, resulting in the production of tension on the neurite.
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