Brain development needs sugar: the role of polysialic acid in controlling NCAM functions.
Polysialic acid (polySia) is a major regulator of cell-cell interactions in the developing nervous system and a key factor in maintaining neural plasticity. As a polyanionic molecule with high water binding capacity, polySia increases the intercellular space and creates conditions that are permissive for cellular plasticity. While the prevailing model highlights polySia as a non-specific regulator of cell-cell contacts, this review concentrates on recent studies in knockout mice indicating that a crucial function of polySia resides in controlling interactions mediated by its predominant protein carrier, the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM.
Institute of Cellular Chemistry, OE 4330, Hannover Medical School, D-30625 Hannover, Germany. muehlenhoff.martina@mh-hannover.de
Martina
M
Mühlenhoff
Imke
I
Oltmann-Norden
Birgit
B
Weinhold
Herbert
H
Hildebrandt
Rita
R
Gerardy-Schahn
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012799:Sialyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism
D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012794:Sialic Acids; C021319:polysialic acid; D012799:Sialyltransferases