New insights on epigenetic mechanisms supporting axonal development: histone marks and miRNAs

Abstract

Mechanisms supporting axon growth and the establishment of neuronal polarity have remained largely disconnected from their genetic and epigenetic fundamentals. Recently, post‐transcriptional modifications of histones involved in chromatin folding and transcription, and microRNAs controlling translation have emerged as regulators of axonal specification, growth, and guidance. In this article, we review novel evidence supporting the concept that epigenetic mechanisms work at both transcriptional and post‐transcriptional levels to shape axons. We also discuss the role of splicing on axonal growth, as one of the most (if not the most) powerful post‐transcriptional mechanism to diversify genetic information. Overall, we think exploring the gap between epigenetics and axonal growth raises new questions and perspectives to the development of axons in physiological and pathological contexts.

Perspectives on Mechanisms Supporting Neuronal Polarity From Small Animals to Humans

“…Genetic regulation shape the nervous system, but its role on the establishment of neuronal polarity has been largely unexplored ( Wilson and Cáceres, 2021 ). Looking back the historical context in which neuronal polarization was described, parallel to the Human Project and sequencing era, the genetic regulation of polarity remained unexplored.…”