Neuropilin-Dependent Signaling and Neuropilin-Independent Signaling of the Guidance Molecule Sema3E

Neuropilins are receptors for all but one secreted (class 3) Semaphorins. The exception is Sema3E that directly binds and activates the Plexin-D1 receptor to induce cell repulsion. In this chapter, we review works that identified an unexpected role of Neuropilin-1 as a gating switch in Sema3E/Plexin-D1 signaling, that converts repulsion into attraction, and discuss the implications of this finding for brain wiring.