Biomaterial Database

Calcium signaling in axon guidance. 2014

Daniel J Sutherland, and Zac Pujic, and Geoffrey J Goodhill

Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.

Guidance of axons to their targets in the developing nervous system requires a myriad of downstream signaling molecules to coordinate growth cone movement. One of the most important of these is calcium, and over the past few years many new insights have been gained into the role of calcium in axon guidance. In this review we focus on mechanisms of calcium entry into the growth cone and its downstream effects on both growth cone motility and turning. We particularly highlight the role of calcium concentrations in determining attractive versus repulsive responses to graded guidance cues, and their role in guidance by the morphogen Wnt5a.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002118	Calcium	A basic element found in nearly all tissues. It is a member of the alkaline earth family of metals with the atomic symbol Ca, atomic number 20, and atomic weight 40. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and combines with phosphorus to form calcium phosphate in the bones and teeth. It is essential for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles and plays a role in blood coagulation (as factor IV) and in many enzymatic processes.	Coagulation Factor IV,Factor IV,Blood Coagulation Factor IV,Calcium-40,Calcium 40,Factor IV, Coagulation
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
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
D051153	Wnt Proteins	Wnt proteins are a large family of secreted glycoproteins that play essential roles in EMBRYONIC AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT, and tissue maintenance. They bind to FRIZZLED RECEPTORS and act as PARACRINE PROTEIN FACTORS to initiate a variety of SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS. The canonical Wnt signaling pathway stabilizes the transcriptional coactivator BETA CATENIN.	Wingless Type Protein,Wnt Factor,Wnt Protein,Wingless Type Proteins,Wnt Factors,Factor, Wnt,Protein, Wingless Type,Protein, Wnt,Type Protein, Wingless
D020013	Calcium Signaling	Signal transduction mechanisms whereby calcium mobilization (from outside the cell or from intracellular storage pools) to the cytoplasm is triggered by external stimuli. Calcium signals are often seen to propagate as waves, oscillations, spikes, sparks, or puffs. The calcium acts as an intracellular messenger by activating calcium-responsive proteins.	Calcium Oscillations,Calcium Waves,Calcium Puffs,Calcium Sparks,Calcium Spikes,Calcium Oscillation,Calcium Puff,Calcium Signalings,Calcium Spark,Calcium Spike,Calcium Wave,Oscillation, Calcium,Oscillations, Calcium,Puff, Calcium,Puffs, Calcium,Signaling, Calcium,Signalings, Calcium,Spark, Calcium,Sparks, Calcium,Spike, Calcium,Spikes, Calcium,Wave, Calcium,Waves, Calcium