The regulation of the outgrowth of nerve processes, and their guidance to appropriate targets, is an important element of the developmental program responsible for generating the circuitry of the adult nervous system. During development the tips of neuronal processes, the growth cones, undergo a period of rapid outgrowth. Unknown at this time, however, are the mechanisms that initiate the transition to the rapid outgrowth phase. The preliminary result that form the basis for this research is the finding that a specific enzyme accumulates at a high level in the growth cone just prior to the onset of rapid outgrowth. The studies that will be performed are designed to determine if this enzyme induces the nerve process to undergo outgrowth, and the possible mechanisms whereby this induction occurs. The results will be of fundamental importance in understanding the processes that are involved in guiding the processes of nerve cells to their appropriate targets during development.
