Cell adhesion molecules are known to play crucial roles in a variety of developmental processes. The neural cell adhesion molecule N-CAM is strongly implicated in neurulation and neural crest cell (NCC) migration and was thus studied in splotch (Sp) neural tube defect mutant embryos. At the 20 somite-stage of gestation day 9, Sp N-CAM was found to contain polysialic acid (PSA) side chains which are normally only present beginning at gestational day 11. Younger embryos at 12 and 14 somites also showed the presence of PSA on N-CAM, which was absent in controls. Enzymatic removal of PSA from N-CAM resulted in isoforms which migrated identically to PSA-free N-CAM isoforms in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. The post-translational modification of N-CAM appears to be the primary target of the Sp gene. In view of N-CAM's importance during development, an alteration at a critical stage is likely to result in the cascade of abnormalities seen in Sp mutants. / A new genotyping assay was also implemented for examination of N-CAM in Sp and other related wildtype strains.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.69646 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Neale, Sondra-Ann |
| Contributors | Trasler, D. G. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Biology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001358224, proquestno: AAIMM91737, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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