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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Rewiring Neuronal Circuits: A New Method for Fast Neurite Extension and Functional Neuronal Connection
Published on: June 13, 2017
Axonal growth: where neurotrophins meet Wnts
Juan Carlos Arévalo1, Moses V Chao
1Molecular Neurobiology Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016 USA. arevalo@saturn.med.nyu.edu
Abstract:
Axonal guidance is influenced by many cues, including polypeptide trophic factors, cytokines, diffusible attractants and repellents and changes in calcium. How these signals are conveyed and integrated is not well defined. Recent data suggest that molecules of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway may have direct actions on axonal growth through neurotrophin signaling. This surprising mechanism is supported by local inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) by nerve growth factor through the integrin-linked kinase. Inhibition of GSK-3beta provides a positive regulatory signal for the cytoskeleton re-arrangement involved in axon extension. Moreover, microtubule stabilization is stimulated by adenomatous polyposis coli protein, a downstream target of GSK3, in response to neurotrophins. Therefore, components of the Wnt signaling pathway are downstream of trophic factors, providing new insights into cytoskeletal regulatory events during axonal growth.
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