CGC Bibliography Paper 3139

Pioneer axon guidance by UNC-129, a C. elegans TGF-B.

Colavita A, Krishna S, Zheng H, Padgett RW, Culotti JG

Medline:

98350209

Citation:

Science 281: 706-709 1998

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

unc-5 unc-6 unc-40 unc-129

Abstract:

The unc-129 gene, like the unc-6 netrin gene, is required to guide pioneer motoraxons along the dorsoventral axis of Caenorhabditis elegans. unc-129 encodes a member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of secreted signaling molecules and is expressed in dorsal, but not ventral, rows of body wall muscles. Ectopic expression of UNC-129 from ventral body wall muscle disrupts growth cone and cell migrations that normally occur along the dorsoventral axis. Thus, UNC-129 mediates expression of dorsoventral polarity information required for axon guidance and guided cell migrations in C. elegans.