Topic: optic chiasm

Axonal protein synthesis seems to play an important role in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) axon guidance because axonal mRNAs could be locally translated “on demand” during axonal navigation. During embryonic development, RGC axons project to the brain and have to decide whether or not to cross the midline at the level of the optic chiasm. There are two types of RGCs, the contralateral ones (cRGCs) that respond to attractive cues; and the ipsilateral ones (iRGCs), that respond to repulsive cues. Although RGCs growth cones have a very fast dynamic behavior in response to environmental stimuli, k

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons have become a paradigm to understand axon growth and guidance in vivo, with many known signals known to be involved along the trajectory followed by these axons to reach their target at the optic tectum. Among these, Slit-Robo signaling appears as one of the main regulators of axon crossing at the optic chiasm. In the zebrafish, a species with no stereoscopic vision and complete crossing of all optic fibers, Robo2 expressed by RGCs was shown to be essential in regulating correct axon midline crossing and bundling to form the optic tracts. We recently reported