When first identified, neural cell adhesion molecules (neural CAMs) were thought to act simply by providing cell surfaces with differential adhesion properties. In the decades following the identification of the first neural CAMs, it has been realized that these proteins are actually involved in very complex processes such as axon guidance, neuronal migration, neurite outgrowth and fasciculatio...

In gnathostome vertebrates, including fish, birds and mammals, peripheral nerves link nervous system, body and immediate environment by integrating efferent pathways controlling movement apparatus or organ function and afferent pathways underlying somatosensation. Several lines of evidence suggest that peripheral nerve assembly involves instructive interactions between efferent and afferent axo...

background: it is becoming apparent that although inhibition of cholinesterase plays a key role in organophosphate (op) toxicity, other factors are also important. one of the contributing factors for severity of op poisoning is electrolyte imbalances such as hypokalemia. this study was aimed at evaluating the value of hypokalemia in association with plasma cholinesterase (pche) levels in predic...

Dopaminergic neurons in the mesodiencephalon (mdDA neurons) make precise synaptic connections with targets in the forebrain via the mesostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesoprefrontal pathways. Because of the functional importance of these remarkably complex ascending axon pathways and their implication in human disease, the mechanisms underlying the development of these connections are of considerabl...

Guanine nucleotides are key players in mediating growth-cone signaling during neural development. The supply of cellular guanine nucleotides in animals can be achieved via the de novo synthesis and salvage pathways. The de novo synthesis of guanine nucleotides is required for lymphocyte proliferation in animals. Whether the de novo synthesis pathway is essential for any other cellular processes...

The nervous system is composed of neurons and glia. Glial cells have been neglected and thought to have only a supportive role in the nervous system, even though ~60% of the mammalian brain is composed of glia. Yet, in recent years, it has been shown that glial cells have several important functions during the development, maintenance and function of the nervous system. Glial cells regulate bot...

We have generated a library of mouse monoclonal antibodies against membrane proteins of the nervous system of the marine snail Aplysia californica. Two of these antibodies, 4E8 and 3D9, recognize a group of membrane glycoproteins with molecular masses of 100-150 kD. We have called these proteins ap100, from the molecular mass of the most abundant species. Based on Western blots, these proteins ...

The neural cell adhesion molecule L1 has been found to play important roles in axon growth and fasciculation. Our main objective was to determine the role of L1 during the development of connections between thalamus and cortex. We find that thalamocortical and corticothalamic axons in mice lacking L1 are hyperfasciculated, a subset of thalamocortical axons make pathfinding errors and thalamocor...