Homozygous Rig-1 deficient mice die within a few hours after birth because their axons are unable to cross the ventral midline in the spinal cord and hindbrain. Experiments show that Rig-1 inhibits the action of Slit, an axon growth cone repellant found at the midline. Knocking out Rig-1 and providing a Slit antagonist rescues commissural outgrowth in mice. Further evidence indicates that wildtype axons are not repelled by Slit, while Rig-1 knockout axons are strongly inhibited by Slit. Therefore, Rig-1 functions to inhibit Slit's repellent effect and guide axons across the midline during development.