Role of the cytoskeleton in growth cone motility and axonal elongation

During axonal pathfinding, the direction of nerve fiber extension is established by the growth cone, the motile structure at the distal tip of an elongating axon. It is the growth cone that navigates and directs axonal outgrowth by detecting and responding to complex molecular cues in the nervous system environment. Changes in growth cone behavior and morphology that result from contact with these cues depend on the regulated assembly and dynamic reorganization of actin filaments and microtubules. Therefore, an understanding of growth cone guidance requires resolution of the cytoskeletal rearrangements that occur as navigating growth cones respond to stimulatory and inhibitory molecular signals in their milieu. In this review, we discuss the role of the cytoskeleton in growth cone navigation.