title: Sweet role of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule in understanding angiogenesis.
abstract: The vascular endothelial glycocalyx contains several anionic sugars, one of which is a sialic acid attached to both N- and O-glycans. Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM), a member of the Ig superfamily that plays multiple roles in cell adhesion, mechanical stress sensing, antiapoptosis and angiogenesis, has recently been shown to recognize α2,6-sialic acid. In endothelial cells that lack α2,6-sialic acid because of sialyltransferase ST6Gal I deficiency, impairment of the homophilic PECAM interaction and PECAM-dependent cell survival signaling is observed. In this review, we will introduce part of the biological role of PECAM, and discuss how the lectin activity of PECAM is related to angiogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Disease Glycomics Team, Systems Glycobiology Research Group, Global Research Cluster, RIKEN-Max Planck Joint Research Center, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198, Japan tani52@wd5.so-net.ne.jp shinobuk@riken.jp.
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitazume
authors.affiliation: Disease Glycomics Team, Systems Glycobiology Research Group, Global Research Cluster, RIKEN-Max Planck Joint Research Center, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Imamaki
authors.affiliation: Disease Glycomics Team, Systems Glycobiology Research Group, Global Research Cluster, RIKEN-Max Planck Joint Research Center, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Disease Glycomics Team, Systems Glycobiology Research Group, Global Research Cluster, RIKEN-Max Planck Joint Research Center, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198, Japan tani52@wd5.so-net.ne.jp shinobuk@riken.jp.
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D037102:Lectins; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
keywords: PECAM; ST6Gal I; angiogenesis; lectin; sialic acid