Herbert Hildebrandt

TL;DR: In the brain, two families of sialoglycans are of particular interest: gangliosides and polysialic acid as discussed by the authors, which regulate cell-cell interactions, modulate the activities of their glycoprotein and glycolipid scaffolds as well as other cell surface molecules.

TL;DR: It is revealed that the essential role of polySia resides in the control and coordination of NCAM interactions during mouse brain development, and this first demonstration in vivo that a highly specific glycan structure is more important than the glycoconjugate as a whole provides a novel view on the relevance of protein glycosylation for the complex process of building the vertebrate brain.

TL;DR: It is established that PSA controls tumor cell growth and differentiation by interfering with NCAM signaling at cell-cell contacts, providing a mechanism for how PSA may promote the genesis and progression of highly aggressive PSA-NCAM-positive tumors.

TL;DR: It is suggested that polySia may act as a dynamic modulator of SynCAM 1 functions during integration of NG2 cells into neural networks during integration in vertebrate brain development and synaptic plasticity.

TL;DR: This review focuses on a phenotype comparison between the newly established mouse strains which combine polySia‐deficiency with normal NCAM expression and the well‐characterized NCAM negative mouse model, and revealed thatpolySia plays a vital role as a specific control element of NCAM‐mediated interactions.