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News
Scientists at Brown University have discovered that axon growth — the process by which nerve fibers find their targets — is controlled by a genetic switch in the neuron's cell body, not just the axon tip. Published in PNAS, the finding challenges decades of conventional thinking and could pave the way for therapies that guide axon regrowth after stroke or spinal cord injury.
For decades, scientists assumed that axons — the long, wire-like extensions of neurons — navigated their complex pathways largely on their own, guided by signals at their tips. A new study from Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science flips that assumption on its head. Researchers found that the neuron's cell body acts as a master controller, switching entire gene programs on and off to guide axons through different stages of their journey to target cells.
The team used single-cell RNA sequencing to study commissural neurons — the type that connects the left and right sides of the nervous system — at four developmental stages in rodent cells. They found that as axons crossed key "waystation" checkpoints, the neuron shifted its gene expression, triggering new guidance molecules to appear at the axon tip and steer it toward the next destination.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Researchers working on neural regeneration can already make axons grow — but getting them to grow to the right place remains the central challenge. This genetic atlas could serve as a foundational resource for scientists working to restore function after stroke or spinal cord injury, potentially bringing targeted axon repair therapies one step closer to reality.
