Polysialylation of the synaptic cell adhesion molecule 1 (SynCAM 1) depends exclusively on the polysialyltransferase ST8SiaII in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Polysialic acid is a unique carbohydrate polymer specifically attached to a limited number of glycoproteins. Among them is synaptic cell adhesion molecule 1 (SynCAM 1), a member of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily composed of three extracellular Ig-like domains. Polysialylation of SynCAM 1 is cell type-specific and was exclusively found in NG2 cells, a class of multifunctional progenitor cells that form specialized synapses with neurons. Here, we studied the molecular requirements for SynCAM 1 polysialylation. Analysis of mice lacking one of the two polysialyltransferases, ST8SiaII or ST8SiaIV, revealed that polysialylation of SynCAM 1 is exclusively mediated by ST8SiaII throughout postnatal brain development. Alternative splicing of the three variable exons 8a, 8b, and 8c can theoretic

SUBMITTER: Rollenhagen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3471733 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature