The polysialic acid mimetics idarubicin and irinotecan stimulate neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth and signal via protein kinase C.

ABSTRACT: Polysialic acid (PSA) is a large, negatively charged, linear homopolymer of alpha2-8-linked sialic acid residues. It is generated by two polysialyltransferases and attached to N- and/or O-linked glycans, and its main carrier is the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). PSA controls the development and regeneration of the nervous system by enhancing cell migration, axon pathfinding, synaptic targeting, synaptic plasticity, by regulating the differentiation of progenitor cells and by modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions. In the adult, PSA plays a role in the immune system, and PSA mimetics promote functional recovery after nervous system injury. In search for novel small molecule mimetics of PSA that are applicable for therapy, we identified idarubicin, an antineoplastic anthracycl

SUBMITTER: Loers G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5539918 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature