Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • In Brief
  • Published:

Axon degeneration

A receptor for injury

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 18, page 266 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Axonal injuries can trigger a process of axonal disintegration known as Wallerian degeneration, which is thought to be largely driven by intrinsic mechanisms in the axon. Here, knocking out the death receptor 6 (Dr6) gene in cultured mouse sympathetic or dorsal root ganglion neurons was associated with prolonged preservation of axons in an intact state following axotomy. Moreover, following sciatic nerve axotomy, mice lacking Dr6 exhibited marked preservation of axons in sciatic nerves compared with wild-type mice. Finally, the absence of DR6 was associated with a lack of activation of a kinase implicated in Wallerian degeneration. This study indicates that a neuronal receptor has a key role in this process.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Gamage, K. K. et al. Death receptor 6 promotes Wallerian degeneration in peripheral axons. Curr. Biol. 27, 890–896 (2017)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Darran Yates
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yates, D. A receptor for injury. Nat Rev Neurosci 18, 266 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2017.50

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2017.50

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing