title: Removal of N-linked oligosaccharides of presumptive ectoderm impairs neural induction in Pleurodeles waltl.
abstract: Studies were carried out on the embryo of the amphibian Pleurodeles waltl to investigate the potential role of the N-linked oligosaccharides of the ectodermal cell membrane in the neural induction process. Glycopeptidase F (GPase F) was used to cleave N-linked oligosaccharides on presumptive ectoderm. Removal of oligosaccharide moieties from ectoderm membrane glycoconjugates completely inhibited natural neural induction in vitro. On the other hand, Swainsonine (Sw) and 1-deoxynojirimycin (dNM), specific inhibitors of enzymes involved in glycosylation, provoked strong and persistent changes in the structure of the N-linked oligosaccharides of presumptive ectoderm but did not prevent neuralisation of treated ectoderm. We conclude that N-linked carbohydrates are implicated in the phenomenon of neural induction. However, the structural integrity of N-linked carbohydrates of target tissue is not itself critical in this process. The existence of specific carbohydrates on presumptive ectoderm was still questioned as receptors of neural signal.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Biologie du Développement, URA-CNRS 675 affiliée à l'INSERM, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gualandris-Parisot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maurel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teissie
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Duprat
mesh_terms: D017485:1-Deoxynojirimycin; D000470:Alkaloids; D000581:Amidohydrolases; D000818:Animals; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008361:Mannosidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D043524:Peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) Asparagine Amidase; D010999:Pleurodeles / Q000196:embryology*; D017026:Swainsonine
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D017485:1-Deoxynojirimycin; D008361:Mannosidases; D000581:Amidohydrolases; D043524:Peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) Asparagine Amidase; D005944:Glucosamine; D017026:Swainsonine