Biomaterial Database

Role of polysialic acid in peripheral myelinated axons. 1996

M R Carratù, and L Steardo, and V Cuomo

Institute of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Bari, Italy.

Polysialic acid (PSA), generally lost from the vertebrate nervous system during maturation, may regulate developmental differences in axon growth, bundling, and sprouting. Changes in polysialic levels on the axon surface seem to be involved during development in establishing normal pattern of muscle innervation. Besides the well-established role of PSA as a regulator of cell-cell interactions during development, PSA expression in myelinated axons may be related to reparative events in response to chemically induced injuries. Histochemical staining method using lectins with well-characterized binding specificities shows that glycoconjugates of the node of Ranvier undergo a rearrangement during exposure to 2,5-hexanedione, known to induce a peripheral neuropathy characterized by giant axonal swelling and retrograde demyelination. In particular, neutral glycoproteins with terminal galactose are replaced by sialoglycoproteins, consistent with the proposed role of PSA as a regulator of axonal behaviour during regeneration.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009413	Nerve Fibers, Myelinated	A class of nerve fibers as defined by their structure, specifically the nerve sheath arrangement. The AXONS of the myelinated nerve fibers are completely encased in a MYELIN SHEATH. They are fibers of relatively large and varied diameters. Their NEURAL CONDUCTION rates are faster than those of the unmyelinated nerve fibers (NERVE FIBERS, UNMYELINATED). Myelinated nerve fibers are present in somatic and autonomic nerves.	A Fibers,B Fibers,Fiber, Myelinated Nerve,Fibers, Myelinated Nerve,Myelinated Nerve Fiber,Myelinated Nerve Fibers,Nerve Fiber, Myelinated
D009416	Nerve Regeneration	Renewal or physiological repair of damaged nerve tissue.	Nerve Tissue Regeneration,Nervous Tissue Regeneration,Neural Tissue Regeneration,Nerve Tissue Regenerations,Nervous Tissue Regenerations,Neural Tissue Regenerations,Regeneration, Nerve,Regeneration, Nerve Tissue,Regeneration, Nervous Tissue,Regeneration, Neural Tissue,Tissue Regeneration, Nerve,Tissue Regeneration, Nervous,Tissue Regeneration, Neural
D010525	Peripheral Nerves	The nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, including the autonomic, cranial, and spinal nerves. Peripheral nerves contain non-neuronal cells and connective tissue as well as axons. The connective tissue layers include, from the outside to the inside, the epineurium, the perineurium, and the endoneurium.	Endoneurium,Epineurium,Perineurium,Endoneuriums,Epineuriums,Nerve, Peripheral,Nerves, Peripheral,Perineuriums,Peripheral Nerve
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001369	Axons	Nerve fibers that are capable of rapidly conducting impulses away from the neuron cell body.	Axon
D012794	Sialic Acids	A group of naturally occurring N-and O-acyl derivatives of the deoxyamino sugar neuraminic acid. They are ubiquitously distributed in many tissues.	N-Acetylneuraminic Acids,Acids, N-Acetylneuraminic,Acids, Sialic,N Acetylneuraminic Acids
D015816	Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal	Surface ligands that mediate cell-to-cell adhesion and function in the assembly and interconnection of the vertebrate nervous system. These molecules promote cell adhesion via a homophilic mechanism. These are not to be confused with NEURAL CELL ADHESION MOLECULES, now known to be expressed in a variety of tissues and cell types in addition to nervous tissue.	Axon-Associated Adhesion Molecules,Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecules,Adhesion Molecules, Axon-Associated,Axon Associated Adhesion Molecules,Molecules, Axon-Associated Adhesion