title: Contribution of the neural cell adhesion molecule to neuronal and synaptic plasticity.
abstract: The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and its polysialylated form PSA-NCAM contribute to many aspects of the development and plasticity of the central nervous system. This includes mechanisms of cell differentiation and migration, neurite outgrowth, establishment of specific patterns of synaptic connections, synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation. How NCAM and PSA-NCAM contribute to regulate all these different mechanisms remains essentially unknown. Adhesive properties appear to be important, but recent studies also point to possible interactions between NCAM and PSA-NCAM with intracellular signalling cascades that are essential to biological functions. Some of these mechanisms are discussed and a hypothesis is proposed based on the existence of cross-talk between these molecules and signalling pathways mediated by growth factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology, Centre Médical Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D039842:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012794:Sialic Acids; C103469:polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule