Highlights in basic autonomic neuroscience: Semaphorins in the remodeling of autonomic innervation

Abstract Chemorepellent signals of the semaphorin family are known to play a crucial role in the development of the nervous system. Some semaphorins continue being expressed in the adult life when they regulate plasticity and regeneration. Increasing evidence indicates that semaphorins are implicated in the development of the autonomic nervous system as well as in the regulation of different forms of plasticity observed in the adulthood. Here we present selected examples illustrating the involvement of semaphorins in the regulation of autonomic plasticity in physiological and pathological conditions.