The role of cell adhesion molecules in regulation of axon advance

所有细胞的表面都含有一类分子，即细胞粘附分子，使它们能够粘附到组织中的其他细胞上。细胞粘附分子长期以来被认为在发育过程中参与引导轴突到达其靶点。然而，这些分子作用的分子机制在很大程度上是未知的。我们建议使用强大的遗传工具，在果蝇解剖的机制，两个细胞粘附分子促进轴突生长。

All cells contain on their surface a class of molecules, cell adhesion molecules, that enable them to adhere to other cells in tissues. Cell adhesion molecules have long been known to be involved in the guidance of axons to their targets during development. However the molecular mechanisms by which these molecules act are largely unknown. We propose to use the powerful genetic tools available in the fruitfly to dissect the mechanisms by which two cell adhesion molecules promote axon growth.