Abstract
The highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) is recognized as a marker of neurogenesis or neural plasticity in adult nervous system. PSA-NCAM expression was examined in the spinal cord of transgenic mice harboring a mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene. Immunohistochemistry showed a progressive expression of PSA-NCAM in surviving motoneurons of spinal ventral horns from an early and presymptomatic stage (25 weeks) before significant loss of ventral horn neurons, while no detectable PSA-NCAM in the ventral horn of non-transgenic littermates during the ageing process. The present data suggest that a specific expression of PSA-NCAM may be involved in the survival of spinal motoneurons under pathological conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Age Factors
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / genetics
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / metabolism*
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / physiopathology
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Animals
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Cell Count
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Cell Survival / genetics*
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Gene Expression / physiology
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Immunohistochemistry
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Mice
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Mice, Transgenic / genetics
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Mice, Transgenic / metabolism*
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Motor Neurons / metabolism*
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Motor Neurons / pathology
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Mutation / genetics
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Nerve Degeneration / genetics
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Nerve Degeneration / metabolism*
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Nerve Degeneration / physiopathology
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Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1*
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Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / genetics
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Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / metabolism*
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Sialic Acids / genetics
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Sialic Acids / metabolism*
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Spinal Cord / metabolism*
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Spinal Cord / pathology
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Spinal Cord / physiopathology
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Superoxide Dismutase / genetics
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Superoxide Dismutase-1
Substances
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Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1
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Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules
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Sialic Acids
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polysialyl neural cell adhesion molecule
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Sod1 protein, mouse
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Superoxide Dismutase
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Superoxide Dismutase-1