This review addresses issues regarding the need in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) field for further predictive markers enhancing the standing embryo selection criteria. It aims to serve as a source of defining information for an audience interested in factors related to the wide range of multiple roles played by cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in several aspects of IVF ultimately associated wi...

The distribution of a range of integrins, E-cadherin, and carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) like molecules in normal human oesophageal epithelium was investigated immunohistochemically on frozen sections of endoscopic biopsy specimens. The integrin subunits alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 6, alpha v, beta 1, and beta 5 were expressed throughout the epithelium. There was strong expression of alpha 2, alph...

Cell-cell adhesions are important for brain morphology and highly coordinated brain functions such as memory and learning (Sanes and Yamagata, 1999; Yamagata et al., 2003; Washbourne et al., 2004). During early development of the nervous system, neurons elongate their axons towards their targets and establish and maintain synapses through formation of cell-cell adhesions. Cell-cell adhesions al...

Exchanging the glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor signal sequence of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) for the signal sequence of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) generates a mature protein with NCAM external domains but CEA-like tumorigenic activity. We hypothesized that this resulted from the presence of a functional specificity signal within this sequence and generated CEA/NCAM chimeras...

When first identified, neural cell adhesion molecules (neural CAMs) were thought to act simply by providing cell surfaces with differential adhesion properties. In the decades following the identification of the first neural CAMs, it has been realized that these proteins are actually involved in very complex processes such as axon guidance, neuronal migration, neurite outgrowth and fasciculatio...

Protein-carbohydrate interaction is exploited in cell adhesion mechanisms besides the recognition of peptide motifs. The sugar code thus significantly contributes to the intriguing specificity of cellular selection of binding partners. Focusing on two classes of lectins (selectins and galectins), it is evident that their functionality for mediation of adhesive contacts is becoming increasingly ...

Evidence suggests that the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is an important molecular constituent of adaptive and maladaptive circuit (re-)organization in the central nervous system. Here, we further investigate its putative involvement in amygdala and hippocampus functions during context fear memory formation. Using laser capture microdissection and quantitative RT-PCR, we show high NCAM m...

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) is primarily transmitted sexually. Dendritic cells (DCs) in the subepithelium transmit HIV-1 to T cells through the C-type lectin DC-specific intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN). However, the epithelial Langerhans cells (LCs) are the first DC subset to encounter HIV-1. It has generally been assumed that LCs mediate the t...