DETERMINANTS OF OPTIC AXON OUTGROWTH

已经鉴定了一种针对细胞表面蛋白质的抗体，命名为M6， 在体外阻断神经突生长。 显影光学的研究 神经在体内表明，M6的表达只有达到一定的临界值， 发展时期。 体外生物学功能和细胞形态 体内表达表明，通过了解更多关于 抗原及其抗体，我们将进一步了解为什么光学 轴突在发育过程中停止生长，以及为什么它们通常不能 损伤后再生。 过去一年收集的其他结果 确认这一预期，并指出，一个实质性的调查， 以初级视路为中心的抗原及其抗体， 正当的 这项建议集中在三个方面：（一）我们希望研究 假设抗原在体内参与以下过程： 轴突生长和细胞迁移。 (2)我们希望用抗体 不可逆地阻止细胞迁移和轴突生长， 研究在发育过程中和发育后发生的各种相互依赖关系 损伤 (3)我们希望研究神经元发育的环境 可以调节M6抗原的表达，并因此修饰 神经突生长和细胞迁移模式。 提出了九个单独的实验，每个实验都涉及一个或多个问题。 这三个领域中的更多。 总的来说，他们应该提供洞察力 一种似乎调节神经突的抗原在体内的行为 通过分子机制进行延伸， 问题研究 他们还将利用抗体作为探针， 以及一个研究视觉的可塑性和再生的标签 系统

An antibody has been identified to a cell surface protein, designated M6, which blocks neurite outgrowth in vitro. Studies on the developing optic nerve in vivo indicate that M6 is expressed only up to a certain critical period of development. The biological function in vitro and the pattern of expression in vivo suggested that by knowing more about the behavior of the antigen and its antibody, we would gain further insight into why optic axons stop growing during development and why they generally fail to regenerate after injury. Additional results collected over the past year confirm this expectation and indicate that a substantial investigation of the antigen and its antibody centered on the primary optic pathway is justified. This proposal focuses on three areas: (1) We wish to examine the hypothesis that the antigen is involved in vivo with the processes of axonal growth and cell migration. (2) We wish to use the antibody to arrest irreversibly both cell migration and axonal outgrowth as a tool for studying various interdependencies occurring during development and after injury. (3) We wish to examine how the context in which a neuron develops may regulate the expression of the M6 antigen and as a result modify neurite outgrowth and cell migration patterns. Nine individual experiments are proposed, each of which addresses one or more of the three areas raised. Collectively, they should provide insight into the behavior in vivo of an antigen which appears to regulate neurite extension by a molecular mechanism which is under investigation in parallel studies. They will also exploit the use of the antibody both as a probe and a label for investigating plasticity and regeneration of the visual system.