Polysialic acid in the plasticity of the developing and adult vertebrate nervous system.
Polysialic acid (PSA) is a cell-surface glycan with an enormous hydrated volume that serves to modulate the distance between cells. This regulation has direct effects on several cellular mechanisms that underlie the formation of the vertebrate nervous system, most conspicuously in the migration and differentiation of progenitor cells and the growth and targeting of axons. PSA is also involved in a number of plasticity-related responses in the adult CNS, including changes in circadian and hormonal patterns, adaptations to pain and stress, and aspects of learning and memory. The ability of PSA to increase the plasticity of neural cells is being exploited to improve the repair of adult CNS tissue.
Department of Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021, USA. rutishau@mskcc.org
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Rutishauser
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D047108:Embryonic Development; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*
D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012794:Sialic Acids; C021319:polysialic acid