Neuronal Guidance Signaling in Health and Neurological Diseases

The field of neuronal guidance signaling is pivotal in understanding how complex neural architectures are formed, a fundamental question in biology. Neurons navigate from their origins to their destinations, extending axons to synaptic targets by interpreting various extracellular cues. This process is under the precise control of switching their responsiveness, facilitated by evolutionarily conserved neuronal guidance genes. These genes, which encode cues, receptors, or downstream signal transducers, are essential not only for neural wiring but also for synaptic formation, maintenance, and remodeling, as well as for organogenesis and homeostasis throughout life. Despite the limited classes of neuronal guidance genes, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains incomplete. Recent discoveries, such as the roles of microRNAs and exosomes, suggest that we are on the cusp of a new wave of research. This research aims to uncover previously unknown mechanisms of neuronal guidance and how cells integrate multiple guidance signaling inputs, including mechanical and adhesive signals, to determine the behaviors of developing and mature neurons, as well as non-neural cells. Additionally, there is a pressing need to understand how dysregulation of these pathways contributes to various human diseases, including developmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders.

This research topic aims to present articles that explore both novel and classical mechanisms underlying neuronal guidance across a wide range of cellular contexts in health and disease. The goal is to delve into the intricacies of neuronal guidance signaling pathways and their roles in disease progression, with a particular focus on microRNAs, exosomes, and neurodegeneration. By investigating these areas, we hope to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive or modulate disease progression, potentially leading to the development of effective therapeutic strategies. The research will also explore how molecular strategies modulating the neuronal guidance system could offer novel treatments to control neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.

To gather further insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuronal guidance signaling in health and diverse diseases, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Exploring new mechanisms, including microRNAs, that underlie axon guidance, neuronal migration, and cell-cell communication.
- Investigating new cellular strategies, such as exosomes and tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), used for cell-cell communication in neuronal guidance.
- Studying intracellular signaling pathways downstream of neuronal guidance cues and receptors that mediate the crosstalk and/or hierarchical regulation of guidance pathways.
- Examining the design principles by which relatively limited sets of guidance genes establish the vast scales of the neural architecture.
- Investigating the molecular mechanisms of body patterning during early development and neural mapping regulated by neuronal guidance genes.
- Exploring the pathological mechanisms by which neuronal guidance signaling contributes to a wide range of human diseases, including neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.
- Studying the guidance cue-mediated control of neuroinflammation.