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Science 9 October 2009:
Vol. 326. no. 5950, pp. 298 - 301
DOI: 10.1126/science.1175737
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Reports

KLF Family Members Regulate Intrinsic Axon Regeneration Ability

Darcie L. Moore,1,2,* Murray G. Blackmore,3,* Ying Hu,1 Klaus H. Kaestner,4 John L. Bixby,2,3 Vance P. Lemmon,2,3 Jeffrey L. Goldberg1,2,{dagger}

Neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) lose their ability to regenerate early in development, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. By screening genes developmentally regulated in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), we identified Krüppel-like factor–4 (KLF4) as a transcriptional repressor of axon growth in RGCs and other CNS neurons. RGCs lacking KLF4 showed increased axon growth both in vitro and after optic nerve injury in vivo. Related KLF family members suppressed or enhanced axon growth to differing extents, and several growth-suppressive KLFs were up-regulated postnatally, whereas growth-enhancing KLFs were down-regulated. Thus, coordinated activities of different KLFs regulate the regenerative capacity of CNS neurons.

1 Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
2 Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
3 Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
4 Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

* These authors contributed equally to this work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jgoldberg{at}med.miami.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Nuclear Power for Axonal Growth.
M. C. Subang and P. M. Richardson (2009)
Science 326, 238-239
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