Dissecting the functional link between transcription factor codes and axon guidance genes in Drosophila motor neurons

Abstract

As axons navigate through the extracellular environment they are exposed to different guidance cues that will steer them when sensed by receptors and cell adhesion molecules [CAMS) present on their membranes. The intricate neuronal network of even the simplest nervous systems together with the comparatively limited number of guidance molecules encoded in the genome suggests that axon guidance must be combinatorial in nature.