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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Assaying the Ability of Diffusible Signaling Molecules to Reorient Embryonic Spinal Commissural Axons
Published on: March 8, 2010
When a diffusible axon guidance cue stops diffusing: roles for netrins in adhesion and morphogenesis
K Adam Baker1, Simon W Moore, Andrew A Jarjour
1Centre for Neuronal Survival, Montréal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2B4, Canada.
Abstract:
Netrins are a small family of secreted proteins that are best known for their role as secreted long-range chemotropic guidance cues. Extracellular gradients of netrin protein, established by diffusion, are thought to direct cell and axon migration during neural development. In addition to this long-range role, recent findings provide increasing support for short-range functions, in which secreted netrin protein remains closely associated with its cellular source. Emerging evidence for short-range actions of netrins suggests that they contribute to tissue morphogenesis by regulating cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion.
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