NEURAL AXON OUTGROWTH MODULATORS

摘要

Novel classes of neural axon outgrowth promoting and orienting proteins or netrins, nucleic acids encoding netrins and cellular which selectively bind such netrins are disclosed. Agents such as netrin peptides are capable of effecting axon outgrowth, orientation and regeneration. These agents provide small molecular weight modulators of nerve cell growth useful in the treatment of neurological disease and injury. The disclosed compositions also find use variously in screening chemical libraries for regulators of axon outgrowth and orientation, in genetic mapping, as probes for related genes, as diagnostic reagents for genetic neurological disease and in the production of specific cellular and animal systems for the development of neurological disease therapy.