ROBO1 polyclonal antibody

Specialized cells at the midline, which separates the left and right halves of the CNS, have a number of roles in directing growth cone behavior . In the vertebrate spinal cord, the insect ventral nerve cord and in C. elegans, midline cells produce guidance cues such as nectins and slit, which act as attractants and repellents, respectively . These cells may act as gatekeepers to prevent axons from crossing the midline and to induce a switch in growth cone responsiveness to guidance cues beyond the gateway . One such gatekeeper, Robo, is an axon guidance receptor that defines a novel subfamily of Ig superfamily proteins that are conserved from fruit flies to mammals . Robo acts as a receptor for the repellent Slit and functions in a cell-autonomous fashion . Non-crossing axons express high levels of Robo, whereas crossing axons express low levels of Robo before reaching the midline and high levels after they cross . Robo1 and Robo2 are two human homologs of the Drosophila protein Roundabout . Robo1 is also homologous to the C. elegans gene sax3, whereas Robo2 is homologous to the zebrafish gene astray .