In contrast to neurons in the central nervous system, mature neurons in the mammalian peripheral nervous system (PNS) can regenerate axons after injury, in part, by enhancing intrinsic growth competence. However, the signalling pathways that enhance the growth potential and induce spontaneous axon regeneration remain poorly understood. Here we reveal that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) si...

Mitochondrial transport is essential for neuronal function, but the evidence of connections between mitochondrial transport and axon regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) of living vertebrates remains limited. Here, we developed a novel model to explore mitochondrial transport in a single Mauthner axon (M axon) of zebrafish with non-invasive in vivo imaging. To confirm the feasibilit...

The sea lamprey has been used as a model for the study of axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. Previous studies have suggested that, unlike developing axons in mammal, the tips of regenerating axons in lamprey spinal cord are simple in shape, packed with neurofilaments (NFs), and contain very little F-actin. Thus it has been proposed that regeneration of axons in the central nervous sy...

Signaling pathways essential for axon regeneration, but not for neuron development or function, are particularly well suited targets for therapeutic intervention. We find that the parallel PMK-3(p38) and KGB-1(JNK) MAPK pathways must be coordinately activated to promote axon regeneration. Axon regeneration fails if the activity of either pathway is absent. These two MAPKs are coregulated by the...

In February 2009, Keystone, Colorado, hosted the third Symposium on; Axonal Connections: Molecular Cues for Development and Regeneration', organized by Marie Filbin, John Flanagan and Liqun Luo. Researchers from diverse backgrounds spent the week discussing the latest findings in axon guidance, synapse formation, dendrite development and axon regeneration. The meeting was held jointly with anot...

Failed axon regeneration and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death after trauma or disease, including glaucomatous and mitochondrial optic neuropathies, are increasingly linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles whose size, organization, and function are regulated by a balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion. Mitochondria are ubiquitous in axonal growt...

Following spinal cord injury (SCI), a multitude of intrinsic and extrinsic factors adversely affect the gene programs that govern the expression of regeneration-associated genes (RAGs) and the production of a diversity of extracellular matrix molecules (ECM). Insufficient RAG expression in the injured neuron and the presence of inhibitory ECM at the lesion, leads to structural alterations in th...