As the nervous system of a complex organism develops, it establishes functional networks through the growth and retraction of synaptic connections from growing axons and dendrites. This synaptic remodeling involves neurotransmitter signaling, activation of neurotrophin receptors and alterations in gene expression (reviewed in 1). One such gene whose expression is increased by neural activity is neuritin, a GPI-anchored protein that is expressed in postmitotic differentiating neurons of the developing nervous system. Its expression is also induced by the neurotrophins BDNF and NT-3. Purified recombinant neuritin promotes neurite outgrowth and arborization in primary embryonic neuronal cultures, suggesting that neuritin may play a role as a downstream effector of activity-induced neurite outgrowth. More recent experiments have shown that neuritin is required for the androgen-induced axonal elongation in motor neurons and is upregulated following spinal cord injury, suggesting that neuritin may also play a role in survival and axonal regeneration.
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