title: Determination of structural elements of the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope required for its function.
abstract: The L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope has been shown to carry an unusual 3'-sulfoglucuronic acid linked O-glycosidically through a neolactosyl-type backbone to a ceramide residue. Using monoclonal antibodies, the same or a closely related epitope has also been detected N-glycosidically linked to glycoproteins, amongst them several neural cell adhesion molecules. We used synthetic glycolipids carrying sulfated or non-sulfated glucuronic acid attached to ceramide through glycans of different length to show that not only the sulfated glucuronic acid but also the neolactosyl-type backbone is essential for the recognition of the L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate by a monoclonal antibody, its binding to laminin and its role in neural cell migration and outgrowth of processes from neurons and astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schachner
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D005965:Glucuronates / Q000737:chemistry; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D007797:Laminin / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D000939:Epitopes; D005965:Glucuronates; D007797:Laminin; D013463:Sulfuric Acid Esters; D020723:Glucuronic Acid