title: Extracellular matrix heparin induces alteration of the cell adhesion during brain development.
abstract: The studies of neuronal cell-glycosaminoglycan interactions indicate an increasing interest in the question of how heparin can mediate adhesion properties of the cell. We have found that high levels of both N-CAM concentration and heparin-binding activity were noticed in the early stages of brain formation. According to electron microscopy data, an elevation of free heparin in the substratum leads to a decrease of the N-CAM content and changing of its distribution on the membrane of cultured hippocampal neurons. Spatial arrangement of immunogold labelled N-CAM molecules in plasma membrane profiles of cultured neurones was quantified with image analysis software using an interlabel distance estimate. To convert these estimates into two dimensional (2D) quantities, namely the 2D pattern and density of labelling, a computer simulation technique was used. Heparin added to the substratum in a concentration of 40 microg/ml decreased the 2D N-CAM labelling density by 50% - 39.8 labels/microm(2) compared with the control values of 88.9 labels/microm(2).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, State University, International Centre for Molecular Physiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 13 Naukova Str., 49050, Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine. ushakova@ff.dsu.dp.ua
authors.forename: Galina A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ushakova
authors.forename: Irina R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Nikonenko
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Nikonenko
authors.forename: Galina G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Skibo
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D006493:Heparin / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D006493:Heparin