Fine-tuning the response of growth cones to guidance cues: a perspective on the role of microRNAs

In the development and regeneration of the nervous system, neurons face the complex task of establishing and/or repairing neuronal connections and contacts. The formation of these neuronal circuits is largely coordinated by tightly regulated temporal and spatial changes in mRNA translation, which enables incredibly precise control over protein expression and localization (Jung and Holt, 2011). Local mRNA translation in specific cellular compartments appears to play a role in many processes that are important to nervous system development and regeneration, including: cell survival, migration, growth cone guidance, and synaptogenesis (Jung and Holt, 2011).