Possible functions of a new genetic marker in central nervous system: the sulfated glycoprotein-2 (SGP-2)

This brief review discusses the recent characterization in the brain of a gene coding for a protein that may be involved in programmed cell death and/or brain plasticity. We will term it sulfated glycoprotein-2 (SGP-2), the name corresponding to the first cDNA characterized. Recent studies have demonstrated the overexpression of this sulfated glycoprotein in various CNS disorders, such as certain gliomas, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy, as well as after experimental brain injury in animals where different cell types were undergoing tissue remodelling or cell death. In peripheral tissues, SGP-2 gene expression has been found to be strikingly increased following experimental manipulations in which cells of injured tissues were undergoing programmed cell death or apoptosis. The results reported thus far are intriguing and suggest the possible involvement of SGP-2 in apoptotic mechanisms as well as its interaction with components of the immune system possibly associated with cell death in neurodegenerative disorders.