Polysialic acid is present in mammalian semen as a post-translational modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM and the polysialyltransferase ST8SiaII.

ABSTRACT: Fertilization in animals is a complex sequence of several biochemical events beginning with the insemination into the female reproductive tract and, finally, leading to embryogenesis. Studies by Kitajima and co-workers (Miyata, S., Sato, C., and Kitajima, K. (2007) Trends Glycosci. Glyc, 19, 85-98) demonstrated the presence of polysialic acid (polySia) on sea urchin sperm. Based on these results, we became interested in the potential involvement of sialic acid polymers in mammalian fertilization. Therefore, we isolated human sperm and performed analyses, including Western blotting and mild 1,2-diamino-4,5-methylenedioxybenzene-HPLC, that revealed the presence α2,8-linked polySia chains. Further analysis by a glyco-proteomics approach led to the identification of two polySia carriers. Inter

SUBMITTER: Simon P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3696658 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature