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Chemical and biological methods for probing the structure and functions of polysialic acids. Emerg Top Life Sci 2018; 2:363-376. [DOI: 10.1042/etls20180008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Owing to its poly-anionic charge and large hydrodynamic volume, polysialic acid (polySia) attached to neural cell adhesion molecule regulates axon–axon and axon–substratum interactions and signalling, particularly, in the development of the central nervous system (CNS). Expression of polySia is spatiotemporally regulated by the action of two polysialyl transferases, namely ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV. PolySia expression peaks during late embryonic and early post-natal period and maintained at a steady state in adulthood in neurogenic niche of the brain. Aberrant polySia expression is associated with neurological disorders and brain tumours. Investigations on the structure and functions, over the past four decades, have shed light on the physiology of polySia. This review focuses on the biological, biochemical, and chemical tools available for polySia engineering. Genetic knockouts, endo-neuraminidases that cleave polySia, antibodies, exogenous expression, and neuroblastoma cells have provided deep insights into the ability of polySia to guide migration of neuronal precursors in neonatal brain development, neuronal clustering, axonal pathway guidance, and axonal targeting. Advent of metabolic sialic acid engineering using ManNAc analogues has enabled reversible and dose-dependent modulation polySia in vitro and ex vivo. In vivo, ManNAc analogues readily engineer the sialoglycans in peripheral tissues, but show no effect in the brain. A recently developed carbohydrate-neuroactive hybrid strategy enables a non-invasive access to the brain in living animals across the blood–brain barrier. A combination of recent advances in CNS drugs and imaging with ManNAc analogues for polySia modulation would pave novel avenues for understanding intricacies of brain development and tackling the challenges of neurological disorders.
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Shajahan A, Parashar S, Goswami S, Ahmed SM, Nagarajan P, Sampathkumar SG. Carbohydrate–Neuroactive Hybrid Strategy for Metabolic Glycan Engineering of the Central Nervous System in Vivo. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:693-700. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b08894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Asif Shajahan
- Laboratory
of Chemical Glycobiology and ‡Experimental Animal Facility, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New
Delhi 110067, India
| | - Shubham Parashar
- Laboratory
of Chemical Glycobiology and ‡Experimental Animal Facility, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New
Delhi 110067, India
| | - Surbhi Goswami
- Laboratory
of Chemical Glycobiology and ‡Experimental Animal Facility, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New
Delhi 110067, India
| | - Syed Meheboob Ahmed
- Laboratory
of Chemical Glycobiology and ‡Experimental Animal Facility, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New
Delhi 110067, India
| | - Perumal Nagarajan
- Laboratory
of Chemical Glycobiology and ‡Experimental Animal Facility, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New
Delhi 110067, India
| | - Srinivasa-Gopalan Sampathkumar
- Laboratory
of Chemical Glycobiology and ‡Experimental Animal Facility, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New
Delhi 110067, India
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