The branching of axons is a fundamental aspect of neurodevelopment and the response of the nervous system to injury. This proposal seeks to understand the role of a protein called Sarm1 in developmental and injury induced axon branching. Sarm1 has been involved in axon degeneration following injury, but our preliminary data unveils a novel role for Sarm1 as a repressor of axon branching. The project has two Aims focused on elucidating how Sarm1 impacts the cytoskeleton underlying branching, and whether Sarm1 is involved in injury-induced axon branching. Completion of the project will advance our understanding of the mechanism of axon branching and identify a novel role for Sarm1 in the response of the nervous system to injury.
Axon branching is fundamental to neurodevelopment and an important aspect of injury induced neuroplasticity. This project addresses the role of Sarm1 in the negative regulation of axon branching. The project will determine the impact of Sarm1 on the axonal cytoskeleton and how Sarm1KO modulates the axon branching response of injured neurons in vivo.
