Interplay between adhesion turnover and cytoskeleton dynamics in the control of growth cone migration

The migration of neuronal growth cones, driving axon extension, is a fascinating process which has been subject of intense investigation over several decades. Many of the key underlying molecules, in particular adhesion proteins at the cell membrane which allow for target recognition and binding, and cytoskeleton filaments and motors which power locomotion, have been identified. However, the precise mechanisms by which growth cones coordinate, in time and space, the transmission of forces generated by the cytoskeleton to the turnover of adhesion proteins, are still partly unresolved. To get a better grasp at these processes, we put here in relation the turnover rate of ligand/receptor adhesions and the degree of mechanical coupling between cell adhesion receptors and the actin rearward flow. These parameters were obtained recently for N-cadherin and IgCAM based adhesions using ligand-coated microspheres in combination with optical tweezers and photo-bleaching experiments. We show that the speed of growth cone migration requires both a fairly rapid adhesion dynamics and a strong physical connection between adhesive sites and the cytoskeleton.