Heparan sulphation patterns generated by specific heparan sulfotransferase enzymes direct distinct aspects of retinal axon guidance at the optic chiasm.

Heparan sulfate sugar modifications mediate the functions of slits and other factors needed for mouse forebrain commissure development.

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans are cell surface and secretory proteins that modulate intercellular signaling pathways including Slit/Robo and FGF/FGFR. The heparan sulfate sugar moieties on HSPGs are subject to extensive postsynthetic modification, generating enormous molecular complexity that has been postulated to provide increased diversity in the ability of individual cells to respond to spe...

Differential Sulfations and Epimerization Define Heparan Sulfate Specificity in Nervous System Development

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) are components of the extracellular matrix through which axons navigate to reach their targets. The heparan sulfate (HS) side chains of HSPGs show complex and differentially regulated patterns of secondary modifications, including sulfations of distinct hydroxyl groups and epimerization of an asymmetric carbon atom. These modifications endow the HSPG-contain...

Specific Sulphation Modifications of Heparan Sulphate Regulate Distinct Aspects of Axon Guidance in the Developing Mouse Central Nervous System

Matrix metalloproteinases are required for retinal ganglion cell axon guidance at select decision points.

Axons receive guidance information from extrinsic cues in their environment in order to reach their targets. In the frog Xenopus laevis, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons make three key guidance decisions en route through the brain. First, they cross to the contralateral side of the brain at the optic chiasm. Second, they turn caudally in the mid-diencephalon. Finally, they must recognize the o...

Syndecan regulates cell migration and axon guidance in C. elegans.

During nervous system development, axons that grow out simultaneously in the same extracellular environment are often sorted to different target destinations. As there is only a restricted set of guidance cues known, regulatory mechanisms are likely to play a crucial role in controlling cell migration and axonal pathfinding. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) carry long chains of differentia...