Mechanistic advances in axon pathfinding

The development of a functional nervous system entails establishing connectivity between appropriate synaptic partners. During axonal pathfinding, the developing axon navigates through the extracellular environment, extending toward postsynaptic targets. In the early 1900s, Ramon y Cajal suggested that the growth cone, a specialized, dynamic, and cytoskeletal-rich structure at the tip of the extending axon, is guided by chemical cues in the extracellular environment. A century of work supports this hypothesis and introduced myriad guidance cues and receptors that promote a variety of growth cone behaviors including extension, pause, collapse, retraction, turning, and branching. Here, we highlight research from the last two years regarding pathways implicated in axon pathfinding.