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Adhesive interactions are important for cell trafficking, differentiation, function and tissue formation. In the nervous system, many cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are involved in migration of neuroblasts, outgrowth and fasciculation of neuronal processes, formation of synapses and rearrangements of synaptic contacts associated with plasticity including learning and memory. More than eighty CAMs were found to be localized at synaptic sites, where they in a regulated manner bridge pre- and postsynaptic specializations thereby modulating synaptic function. Structure and Function of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule NCAM describes recent developments concerning structural, functional and possible therapeutic aspects of one particular CAM, the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). NCAM is one of the first identified and most studied CAMs, and this book is the first attempt to collectively summarize our current knowledge of this important cell adhesion molecule.
List of contents
Structure and Ligands of NCAM.- Structural Biology of NCAM.- Extracellular Protein Interactions Mediated by the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule, NCAM: Heterophilic Interactions Between NCAM and Cell Adhesion Molecules, Extracellular Matrix Proteins, and Viruses.- Intracelluar Ligands of NCAM.- NCAM and the FGF-Receptor.- The Role of ATP in the Regulation of NCAM Function.- NCAM and Polysialic Acid.- Polysialylation of NCAM.- Structural Basis for the Polysialylation of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule.- The Role of PSA-NCAM in Adult Neurogenesis.- Use of PSA-NCAM in Repair of the Central Nervous System.- NCAM-mediated Signal Transduction.- Signaling Pathways Involved in NCAM-Induced Neurite Outgrowth.- Role of the Growth-Associated Protein GAP-43 in NCAM-Mediated Neurite Outgrowth.- The Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule NCAM and Lipid Rafts.- The Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor: Signaling Crosstalk.- NCAM Metabolism.- Biosynthesis of NCAM.- Soluble NCAM.- NCAM, Synapses, Emotions, and Memory.- Role of NCAM in Spine Dynamics and Synaptogenesis.- NCAM in Long-Term Potentiation and Learning.- Role of NCAM in Emotion and Learning.- NCAM in Disease.- NCAM in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders.- Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule in Cancer: Expression and Mechanisms.- Pharmacology of NCAM: NCAM Mimetics.- NCAM Mimetic Peptides: An Update.- Synthetic NCAM-Derived Ligands of the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor.- Dendritic Spine and Synapse Morphological Alterations Induced by a Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule Mimetic.- Orthologs and Paralogs of NCAM.- Fasciclin II: The NCAM Ortholog in Drosophila melanogaster.- The Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule NCAM2/OCAM/RNCAM, a Close Relative to NCAM.- Conclusion.- Honoring Dr. Elisabeth Bock.
Summary
This book describes recent developments concerning structural, functional and possible therapeutic aspects of one particular CAM, the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM).
