Connecting the Retina to the Brain

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Work in the laboratory of LE is funded by the BBSRC [BB/J00815X/1] and the R.S. Macdonald Charitable Trust. Research in the laboratory of EH is funded by grants from the Regional Government [Prometeo2012-005], the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [BFU2010-16563] and the European Research Council [ERC2011-StG20101109].Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The retinal ganglion cell axon's journey: Insights into molecular mechanisms of axon guidance

AbstractThe developing visual system has proven to be one of the most informative models for studying axon guidance decisions. The pathway is composed of the axons of a single neuronal cell type, the retinal ganglion cell (RGC), that navigate through a series of intermediate targets on route to their final destination. The molecular basis of optic pathway development is beginning to be elucidated with cues such as netrins, Slits and ephrins playing a key role. Other factors best characterised for their role as morphogens in patterning developing tissues, such as sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Wnts, also act directly on RGC axons to influence guidance decisions. The transcriptional basis of the spatial–temporal expression of guidance cues and their cognate receptors within the developing optic pathway as well as mechanisms underlying the plasticity of guidance responses also are starting to be understood. This review will focus on our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms directing the early development of functional connections in the developing visual system and the insights these studies have provided into general mechanisms of axon guidance

VEGF189 binds NRP1 and is sufficient for VEGF/NRP1-dependent neuronal patterning in the developing brain

© 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. This research was funded by a Wellcome Trust PhD fellowship to M.T. [092839/Z/10/Z] and a BBSRC project grant to C.R. and L.E. [BB/J00930X/1]. Deposited in PMC for immediate release.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

VEGF-A and neuropilin 1 (NRP1) shape axon projections in the developing CNS via dual roles in neurons and blood vessels

We thank Vann Bennett and Daizing Zhou (Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center) for the design and generation of the Brn3bCre knock-in mice. We are grateful to Bennett Alakakone and Susan Reijntjes for help with preliminary experiments and to Anastasia Lampropoulou for preparing tissue culture media. We thank the staff of the Biological Resource Unit at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the University of Aberdeen Institute of Medical Sciences Microscopy and Histology Facility and Medical Research Facility for technical assistance. Funding This research was funded by project grants from the Wellcome Trust [085476/A/08/Z to L.E., C.R.] and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) [BB/J00815X/1 to L.E.; BB/J00930X/1 to C.R.] and a Wellcome Trust PhD Fellowship [092839/Z/10/Z to M.T.]. Deposited in PMC for immediate release.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Wiring the Binocular Visual Pathways

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, V.M.-B. and L.E.; writing—original draft preparation, V.M.-B. and L.E.; writing—review and editing, V.M.-B. and L.E.; visualization, V.M.-B. Funding: V.M.-B. holds a postdoctoral contract from the Generalitat Valenciana (APOSTD/2016/017).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Limbal epithelial stem cell activity and corneal epithelial cell cycle parameters in adult and aging mice

NS was funded by a Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia PhD studentship. LK was funded by Saving Sight in Grampian, University of Aberdeen Development Trust. This work was performed under University of Aberdeen Development Trust Funding (‘Research into Corneal Blindness’) to JMC, LE and NV and BBSRC Research Grant BB/J015237/1 to JMC.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Knockdown of Slit signalling during limb development leads to a reduction in humerus length

Acknowledgements: This project was funded by an EastBio BBSRC DTP PhD Studentship to AR. The authors thank past and present lab staff for helpful discussions.Peer reviewedPostprin

DSCAM promotes axon fasciculation and growth in the developing optic pathway

Acknowledgments We thank Drs. Robert Burgess, Carol Mason, and Eloisa Herrera for helpful discussions; Dr. Thomas Theil for his invaluable advice on the slice culture methods; Francesca Lamb and Emma Smith for technical assistance; and the Institute of Medical Sciences Microscopy and Imaging Facility for assistance with confocal microscopy. This work was supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) doctoral training award studentship and a BBSRC project grant (BB/J00815X/1). Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Lens-regulated retinoic acid signalling controls expansion of the developing eye

This research was funded by a Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC) PhD studentship to H.M.W., a University of Aberdeen Institute of Medical Sciences PhD Studentship to J.N.S., and a grant from the University of Aberdeen Development Trust [OL 989 to L.E., J.M.C].Peer reviewedPublisher PD

CXCL12 promotes the crossing of retinal ganglion cell axons at the optic chiasm

Open Access via the JISC/CUP agreement Funding This work was supported by a University of Aberdeen Elphinstone Scholarship to V.-H.L., a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant [TU295/10-1] to R.S. and a Wellcome Trust New Investigator Award [095623/Z/11/Z] to C.R. Open Access funding provided by University of Aberdeen. Deposited in PMC for immediate release.Peer reviewe