An Epidermal MicroRNA Regulates Neuronal Migration Through Control of the Cellular Glycosylation State

Abstract

Extracellular Regulation During Caenorhabditis elegans development, the hermaphrodite-specific neurons (HSNs) migrate and then extend axons toward their functional targets. Posttranslational modification of heparan sulfate proteoglycans are important for HSN development, and so Pedersen et al. (p. 1404 ) tested the effect of disrupting or reducing chondroitin and heparan sulfate synthesis during C. elegans development. The results suggest that proteoglycan biosynthesis is tightly regulated by a microRNA pathway to shape the cell surface glycosylation architecture required to direct neuronal migration.