Scientists from the Trinity College Dublin published earlier this week in eLIFE a study that identified a large group of biological 'labels' that guide nerves to ensure they make the correct connections and control different parts of the body.
Nerves are assembled through the biological labels that are present on their surfaces, and are also directed toward their final destination by other labels present throughout the body. The instructions on these labels are sensed or 'read' by the axons through specific receptors present on them.
So far, Juan Pablo Labrador, assistant professor of genetics at Trinity College, and his colleagues have been able to identify a whole family of molecules that work as labels (the sidestep family) and bind to a large family of receptors (the beaten path family of receptors). Beat receptors are present in axons of motor nerves, and guide them so that they can establish the right connections with specific muscles by detecting different Side labels present on them.
The findings offer some hope that damaged nervous systems in people living could one day be restored. To do this, scientists will need to identify more labels and see which ones attract specific nerves in humans.
Image: Drosophila motor nerves connecting to their target muscles. Image courtesy of Professor Juan Pablo Labrador, Trinity College Dublin.