Sensory Neuron Specification and Axon Guidance

轴突沿特定途径生长的机制将在小鸡后肢中进行研究。选择的神经元组将用不同的荧光染料在卵中标记，然后从胚胎中取出并在培养中研究。将研究支配皮肤和肌肉的两种感觉神经元，以确定它们对运动神经元接触过程的反应、各种细胞粘附分子的表达和向特定目标组织的生长是否不同。更一般地说，这些研究有望阐明涉及神经元特异性和再生发展的机制。

The mechanisms involved in the growth of axons along specific, pathways will be studied in the chick hindlimb. Select sets of neurons will be labeled in ovo with different fluorescent dyes and then removed from the embryo and studied in culture. Two types of sensory neurons, those that innervate skin and muscle, will be studied to determine if these differ in their responses to contact with processes of motoneurons, expression of various cell adhesion molecules and growth toward specific target tissues. More generally, these studies promise to elucidate mechanisms involved in the development of neuronal specificity and regeneration.