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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Generating a Fractal Microstructure of Laminin-111 to Signal to Cells
Published on: September 28, 2020
Brain alpha-dystroglycan displays unique glycoepitopes and preferential binding to laminin-10/11
Erin L McDearmon1, Ariana C Combs, Kiyotoshi Sekiguchi
1Department of Physiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 53706, USA.
Abstract:
alpha-Dystroglycan was quantitatively enriched from mammalian brain based on its uniform reactivity with Vicia villosa agglutinin and resolved into sub-populations possessing or lacking the sulfated glucuronic acid epitope recognized by monoclonal antibody HNK-1. We generated a new monoclonal antibody specific for a glycoepitope on brain alpha-dystroglycan but absent from alpha-dystroglycan expressed in all other tissues examined. Finally, we found that laminin-10/11 preferentially bound to brain alpha-dystroglycan compared to skeletal muscle alpha-dystroglycan. Our results suggest that tissue-specific glycosylation modifies the laminin binding specificity of alpha-dystroglycan.
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