Premium
Role of polysialic acid in peripheral myelinated axons
Author(s) -
Carratù M.R.,
Steardo L.,
Cuomo V.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0029(19960815)34:6<489::aid-jemt1>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - polysialic acid , axon , regulator , peripheral nervous system , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , node of ranvier , regeneration (biology) , glycoconjugate , schwann cell , central nervous system , axon guidance , neural cell adhesion molecule , neuroscience , cell , biochemistry , cell adhesion , myelin , gene
Polysialic acid (PSA), generally lost from the vertebrate nervous system during maturation, may regulate developmental differences in axon growth, bundling, and sprouting. Changes in polysialic levels on the axon surface seem to be involved during development in establishing normal pattern of muscle innervation. Besides the well‐established role of PSA as a regulator of cell‐cell interactions during development, PSA expression in myelinated axons may be related to reparative events in response to chemically induced injuries. Histochemical staining method using lectins with well‐characterized binding specificities shows that glycoconjugates of the node of Ranvier undergo a rearrangement during exposure to 2,5‐hexanedione, known to induce a peripheral neuropathy characterized by giant axonal swelling and retrograde demyelination. In particular, neutral glycoproteins with terminal galactose are replaced by sialoglycoproteins, consistent with the proposed role of PSA as a regulator of axonal behaviour during regeneration. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.