Regulated Expression and Disease Relevance of Neural Glycans

Abstract

Glycans on glycoproteins are structurally diverse. The number of glycan branches and formation of glycan epitopes at non-reducing ends afford a wide variety of glycan structures. In particular, in the nervous system, many structurally unique glycans are expressed, which ensures that complex neural functions are maintained. We have focused on neural specific glycans such as HNK-1, branched O-mannose glycans, and bisecting GlcNAc, and revealed that expression of these neural glycans is tightly regulated. Moreover, studies by us and other groups have clarified that aberrant expression of these glycans is associated with various neural diseases, including dementia. In this review, the regulated expression and disease relevance of these glycans are discussed.