The Kolodkin lab reports in Neuron
The Kolodkin lab reports in the current issue of Neuron that the β1-Integrin laminin receptor is required for retinal ganglion cell (RGC) positioning and reorganization into a single-cell retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) layer. Furthermore, Roccomagno et al show that β1-Integrin signaling within migrating GCL cells requires Cas signaling-adaptor proteins, and in the absence of β1-Integrin or Cas function, retinal neurons form ectopic cell clusters beyond the inner-limiting membrane (ILM), phenocopying laminin mutants. These findings reveal an essential role for Cas adaptor proteins in β1-Integrin-mediated signaling events critical for the formation of the single-cell GCL in the mammalian retina.