Calcium mediates bidirectional growth cone turning induced by myelin-associated glycoprotein

John R. Henley, Kuo Hua Huang, Dennis Wang, Mu Ming Poo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

96 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cytoplasmic second messengers, Ca2+ and cAMP, regulate nerve growth cone turning responses induced by many guidance cues, but the causal relationship between these signaling pathways has been unclear. We here report that, for growth cone turning induced by a gradient of myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), cAMP acts by modulating MAG-induced Ca2+ signaling. Growth cone repulsion induced by MAG was accompanied by localized Ca2+ signals on the side of the growth cone facing the MAG source, due to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Elevating cAMP signaling activity or membrane depolarization enhanced MAG-induced Ca 2+ signals and converted growth cone repulsion to attraction. Directly imposing high- or low-amplitude Ca2+ signals with an extracellular gradient of Ca2+ ionophore was sufficient to trigger either attractive or repulsive turning, respectively. Thus, distinct Ca 2+ signaling, which can be modulated by cAMP, mediates the bidirectional turning responses induced by MAG.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)909-916
Number of pages8
JournalNeuron
Volume44
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 16 2004

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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