Sensory experience differentially modulates the mRNA expression of the polysialyltransferases ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV in postnatal mouse visual cortex.

ABSTRACT: Polysialic acid (PSA) is a unique carbohydrate composed of a linear homopolymer of α-2,8 linked sialic acid, and is mainly attached to the fifth immunoglobulin-like domain of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) in vertebrate neural system. In the brain, PSA is exclusively synthesized by the two polysialyltransferases ST8SiaII (also known as STX) and ST8SiaIV (also known as PST). By modulating adhesive property of NCAM, PSA plays a critical role in several neural development processes such as cell migration, neurite outgrowth, axon pathfinding, synaptogenesis and activity-dependent plasticity. The expression of PSA is temporally and spatially regulated during neural development and a tight regulation of PSA expression is essential to its biological function. In mouse visual cortex, PSA

SUBMITTER: Belanger MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3177851 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature