Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Antibody Binding Specificity for Kappa (Vκ) Light Chain-containing Human (IgM) Antibodies: Polysialic Acid (PSA) Attached to NCAM as a Case Study
Published on: June 29, 2016
Brain development needs sugar: the role of polysialic acid in controlling NCAM functions
Martina Mühlenhoff1, Imke Oltmann-Norden, Birgit Weinhold
1Institute of Cellular Chemistry, OE 4330, Hannover Medical School, D-30625 Hannover, Germany. muehlenhoff.martina@mh-hannover.de
Abstract:
Polysialic acid (polySia) is a major regulator of cell-cell interactions in the developing nervous system and a key factor in maintaining neural plasticity. As a polyanionic molecule with high water binding capacity, polySia increases the intercellular space and creates conditions that are permissive for cellular plasticity. While the prevailing model highlights polySia as a non-specific regulator of cell-cell contacts, this review concentrates on recent studies in knockout mice indicating that a crucial function of polySia resides in controlling interactions mediated by its predominant protein carrier, the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM.
Related Concept Videos
Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides
Protein Glycosylation
Glycosylation occurs in...
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Proteoglycans
Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions
CAM Families
The Integrin family of proteins is primarily involved in a...

