Abstract
Isoforms of the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) carrying the linear homopolymer of alpha 2,8-linked sialic acid (polysialic acid, PSA) have emerged as particularly attractive candidates for promoting plasticity in the nervous system. The large negatively charged PSA chain of NCAM is considered as a spacer that reduces adhesion forces between cells allowing dynamic changes in membrane contacts. However, accumulating evidence also suggest that PSA-NCAM mediated interactions lead to activation of intracellular signaling cascades that are fundamental to the biological functions of the molecule. An important role of PSA-NCAM appears to be during development, when its expression level is high and where it contributes to regulate transformations of cell shape, cell growth or cell migration. However, PSA-NCAM does persist in adult brain structures that display a high degree of plasticity as the hippocampus where it is involved in activity- induced synaptic plasticity. In this review, we will discuss the recent findings on the structure, synthesis and signaling activity of PSA-NCAM essential to understand its role in synaptic plasticity.
Keywords: Glutamate Receptors, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, FGF Receptor, Neurotrophin, long-term depression
Current Organic Chemistry
Title: Roles of Polysialic Acid-Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule (PSA-NCAM) in Synaptic Plasticity
Volume: 11 Issue: 7
Author(s): Eduardo Gascon, Laszlo Vutskits and Jozsef Zoltan Kiss
Affiliation:
Keywords: Glutamate Receptors, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, FGF Receptor, Neurotrophin, long-term depression
Abstract: Isoforms of the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) carrying the linear homopolymer of alpha 2,8-linked sialic acid (polysialic acid, PSA) have emerged as particularly attractive candidates for promoting plasticity in the nervous system. The large negatively charged PSA chain of NCAM is considered as a spacer that reduces adhesion forces between cells allowing dynamic changes in membrane contacts. However, accumulating evidence also suggest that PSA-NCAM mediated interactions lead to activation of intracellular signaling cascades that are fundamental to the biological functions of the molecule. An important role of PSA-NCAM appears to be during development, when its expression level is high and where it contributes to regulate transformations of cell shape, cell growth or cell migration. However, PSA-NCAM does persist in adult brain structures that display a high degree of plasticity as the hippocampus where it is involved in activity- induced synaptic plasticity. In this review, we will discuss the recent findings on the structure, synthesis and signaling activity of PSA-NCAM essential to understand its role in synaptic plasticity.
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Gascon Eduardo, Vutskits Laszlo and Zoltan Kiss Jozsef, Roles of Polysialic Acid-Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule (PSA-NCAM) in Synaptic Plasticity, Current Organic Chemistry 2007; 11 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138527207780598800
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138527207780598800 |
Print ISSN 1385-2728 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5348 |
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