Scientists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have uncovered an unexpected role for the molecule netrin1 in organizing the developing spinal cord. The researchers discovered that netrin1, which is known primarily as a guidance cue that directs growing nerve fibers , also limits bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP, signaling to specific regions of the spinal cord. This boundary-setting function is critical because this signaling activity must be precisely confined to the dorsal region for sensory neurons to develop properly.
Their findings, published in Cell Reports , reshape our understanding of how complex spinal circuits are established during embryonic development and could inform future therapeutic strategies for spinal cord repair. The research was led by senior author Samantha Butler, a professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine. "This is a story of scientific curiosity—of discovering something odd and trying to understand why it happened," said Butler, who is also a member of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.
"We found that netrin1, which we've long known as a powerful architect of neural circuits, has an entirely unanticipated role in organizing the spinal cord during early development." The development of the dorsal spinal cord, where sensory inputs like touch and pain are processed, is characterized by precise compartmentalization and organization. For these sensory processes to f.
