Identification of cell surface molecules that play a role in cell-cell adhesion (here called cell adhesion molecules) has been achieved by demonstrating the inhibitory effect of univalent antibodies that bind these molecules in an in vitro assay of cell-cell adhesion. A more convenient reagent, intact (divalent) antibody, has been avoided because it might agglutinate the cells rather than block...

Cell-cell adhesion is controlled by many molecules found on the cell surface. In addition to the constituents of well-defined junctional structures, there are the molecules that are thought to play a role in the initial interactions of cells and that appear at precise times during development. These include the cadherins and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). Representatives of these families of a...

Polysialic acid is an anti-adhesive glycan that modifies a select group of mammalian proteins. The primary substrate of the polysialyltransferases (polySTs) is the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). Polysialic acid negatively regulates cell adhesion, is required for proper brain development, and is expressed in specific areas of the adult brain where it promotes on-going cell migration and s...

We have proposed previously that the polysialic acid (PSA) moiety of NCAM can influence membrane-membrane apposition, and thereby serve as a selective regulator of a variety of contact-dependent cell interactions. In this study, cell and tissue culture models are used to obtain direct evidence that the presence of PSA on the surface membrane can affect both cell-cell and cell-substrate interact...

Several data have shown that the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is necessary for long-term memory formation and might play a role in the structural reorganization of synapses. The NCAM, encoded by a single gene, is represented by several isoforms that differ with regard to their content of alpha-2,8-linked sialic acid residues (PSA) on their extracellular domain. The carbohydrate PSA is k...

Dendritic cells (DCs) possess a number of unique features that distinguish them from other APCs. One such feature is their ability to trigger Ag-independent responses in T cells. Previous studies have focused on mature DCs, but the prevalence of this phenomenon in the resting-state immature DCs has never been considered. In this study, we show that, in the absence of Ag, human immature DCs trig...

The basic physiology of leucocyte emigration from the intravascular space into the tissues is now known to be dependent on a class of cell surface molecules that have come to be known as adhesion molecules. Many cell-cell interactions are dependent on adhesion and signal transduction via the various adhesion molecules, particularly the integrins. The study of the functions of these molecules ha...

Adhesion molecules (AMs) represent one class of biomolecules that promote central nervous system regeneration. These tethered molecules provide cues to regenerating neurons that recapitulate the native brain environment. Improving cell adhesive potential of non-adhesive biomaterials is therefore a common goal in neural tissue engineering. This review discusses common AMs used in neural biomater...

Formation of axonal pathways involves a variety of molecules that influence cell-cell interactions. The polysialic acid (PSA) moiety of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is present on neuronal surfaces during process outgrowth. Our studies reveal that the removal of PSA causes a decrease in the rate of elongation of retinal cell processes on a substrate of neuronal membranes derived from...