# Functional analysis of the Drosophila axon guidance receptor Robo2

> **NIH NIH R15** · UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT FAYETTEVILLE · 2023 · $443,483

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
During nervous system development and post-injury regeneration, nerve pathways are formed
by migrating neuronal axons which are guided by extracellular cues. Although many of the
major signaling pathways that regulate axon guidance have been identified, our understanding
of the mechanisms by which individual genes influence specific axon guidance outcomes
remains limited. In animals with complex nervous systems, such as insects and mammals,
individual ligands and receptors from conserved signaling pathways can promote diverse or
even opposing outcomes in different populations of neuronal axons. This proposal uses the fruit
fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model to address the question of how individual genes can
specify diverse axon guidance outcomes. The evolutionarily conserved Roundabout (Robo)
family of axon guidance receptors control multiple distinct axon guidance outcomes in the
developing Drosophila embryonic central nervous system (CNS). The proposed research takes
advantage of the molecular and genetic tools available in Drosophila to dissect the mechanisms
underlying the diverse axon guidance activities of individual Robo receptors. The project will use
structure/function gene modification approaches to characterize the functional domains that
contribute to the axon guidance activities of individual Robo receptors, will investigate how the
transcriptional regulation of robo genes in specific neuronal populations contributes to specific
axon guidance decisions, and will test candidate mechanisms that may account for the
receptors’ role(s) in different axon guidance contexts. The proposed research will provide insight
into how individual axon guidance genes can specify diverse developmental outcomes, identify
potentially evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that may operate in other animals, including
humans, where members of the Robo receptor family are also key regulators of axon guidance,
and may suggest novel strategies for restoring proper regulation of axon guidance in the
contexts of nervous system injury, repair, and regeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10730896
- **Project number:** 2R15NS098406-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT FAYETTEVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** Timothy A. Evans
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $443,483
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2016-07-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10730896

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10730896, Functional analysis of the Drosophila axon guidance receptor Robo2 (2R15NS098406-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10730896. Licensed CC0.

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