Biomaterial Database

A theoretical model of axon guidance by the Robo code. 2003

Geoffrey J Goodhill

Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA. geoff@georgetown.edu

After crossing the midline, different populations of commissural axons in Drosophila target specific longitudinal pathways at different distances from the midline. It has recently been shown that this choice of lateral position is governed by the particular combination of Robo receptors expressed by these axons, presumably in response to a gradient of Slit released by the midline. Here we propose a simple theoretical model of this combinatorial coding scheme. The principal results of the model are that purely quantitative rather than qualitative differences between the different Robo receptors are sufficient to account for the effects observed following removal or ectopic expression of specific Robo receptors, and that the steepness of the Slit gradient in vivo must exceed a certain minimum for the results observed experimentally to be consistent.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008959	Models, Neurological	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of the neurological system, processes or phenomena; includes the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Neurologic Models,Model, Neurological,Neurologic Model,Neurological Model,Neurological Models,Model, Neurologic,Models, Neurologic
D009419	Nerve Tissue Proteins		Proteins, Nerve Tissue,Tissue Proteins, Nerve
D009434	Neural Pathways	Neural tracts connecting one part of the nervous system with another.	Neural Interconnections,Interconnection, Neural,Interconnections, Neural,Neural Interconnection,Neural Pathway,Pathway, Neural,Pathways, Neural
D011971	Receptors, Immunologic	Cell surface molecules on cells of the immune system that specifically bind surface molecules or messenger molecules and trigger changes in the behavior of cells. Although these receptors were first identified in the immune system, many have important functions elsewhere.	Immunologic Receptors,Immunologic Receptor,Immunological Receptors,Receptor, Immunologic,Receptors, Immunological
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000097905	Roundabout Proteins	A family of single-pass transmembrane receptors that act as the cognate receptors for the secreted guidance factor Slit emanating from central nervous system midlines.	Robo Proteins,Robo-1 Protein,Robo1 Protein,Roundabout 1 Protein
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001369	Axons	Nerve fibers that are capable of rapidly conducting impulses away from the neuron cell body.	Axon
D016014	Linear Models	Statistical models in which the value of a parameter for a given value of a factor is assumed to be equal to a + bx, where a and b are constants. The models predict a linear regression.	Linear Regression,Log-Linear Models,Models, Linear,Linear Model,Linear Regressions,Log Linear Models,Log-Linear Model,Model, Linear,Model, Log-Linear,Models, Log-Linear,Regression, Linear,Regressions, Linear
D017711	Nonlinear Dynamics	The study of systems which respond disproportionately (nonlinearly) to initial conditions or perturbing stimuli. Nonlinear systems may exhibit "chaos" which is classically characterized as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. Chaotic systems, while distinguished from more ordered periodic systems, are not random. When their behavior over time is appropriately displayed (in "phase space"), constraints are evident which are described by "strange attractors". Phase space representations of chaotic systems, or strange attractors, usually reveal fractal (FRACTALS) self-similarity across time scales. Natural, including biological, systems often display nonlinear dynamics and chaos.	Chaos Theory,Models, Nonlinear,Non-linear Dynamics,Non-linear Models,Chaos Theories,Dynamics, Non-linear,Dynamics, Nonlinear,Model, Non-linear,Model, Nonlinear,Models, Non-linear,Non linear Dynamics,Non linear Models,Non-linear Dynamic,Non-linear Model,Nonlinear Dynamic,Nonlinear Model,Nonlinear Models,Theories, Chaos,Theory, Chaos

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