These studies will elucidate molecules and mechanisms involved in directional growth of axons. Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies will be raised and employed to identify antigens expressed in the chick neural retina that play a functional role in retinal axonal growth and directionality. Transplantation experiments in vivo and in organ culture will be performed to study the role of chemotropic mechanisms in orientation of retinal ganglion axons. These studies promise to provide fundamental information on the molecular mechanisms involved in axonal growth in development, as well as in regeneration.
