Polysialic acid restrains inflammatory monocyte maturation.

ABSTRACT: Sialic acids are widely distributed monosaccharides in the central nervous system (CNS), where they are predominantly found as terminal sialic acid residues, as well as in di-, oligo-, and polysialic forms on the glycocalyx, collectively contributing to the development, resilience, and long-term integrity of the CNS. Harnessing sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec) receptors by α2.8-linked polysialic acids has been shown to modulate immune responses. In this study, murine and human monocytes were exposed to α2.8-linked low molecular weight polysialic acid (α2.8-polySIA) in vitro, followed by phenotypic, functional, and transcriptomic analyses using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing; therapeutic efficacy was assessed in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (

SUBMITTER: Passos I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12580094 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature