Removal of N-linked oligosaccharides of presumptive ectoderm impairs neural induction in Pleurodeles waltl

• Published in: Mechanisms of development Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 201 - 213
• Main Authors: Gualandris-Parisot, L., Maurel, P., Teissie, J., Duprat, A.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.03.1991
• Subjects: 1-Deoxynojirimycin; Alkaloids; Amidohydrolases; Animals; Ectoderm - chemistry; Ectoderm - physiology; Glucosamine - analogs & derivatives; Glycopeptidase; Glycosylation; Mannosidases - antagonists & inhibitors; N-linked oligosaccharides; Nervous System - embryology; Neural induction; Neurogenesis; Oligosaccharides - metabolism; Peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) Asparagine Amidase; Pleurodeles - embryology; Swainsonine; N-linked oligosaccharides; Glycosylation; Neural induction; Glycopeptidase; Neurogenesis
• ISSN: 0925-4773; 1872-6356
• DOI: 10.1016/0925-4773(91)90028-5

Studies were carried out on the embryo of the amphibian Pleurodeles waltl to investigate the potential role of the N-linked oligosaccharides of the ectodermal cell membrane in the neural induction process. Glycopeptidase F (GPase F) was used to cleave N-linked oligosaccharides on presumptive ectoderm. Removal of oligosaccharide moieties from ectoderm membrane glycoconjugates completely inhibited natural neural induction in vitro. On the other hand, Swainsonine (Sw) and 1-deoxynojirimycin (dNM), specific inhibitors of enzymes involved in glycosylation, provoked strong and persistent changes in the structure of the N-linked oligosaccharides of presumptive ectoderm but did not prevent neuralisation of treated ectoderm. We conclude that N-linked carbohydrates are implicated in the phenomenon of neural induction. However, the structural integrity of N-linked carbohydrates of target tissue is not itself critical in this process. The existence of specific carbohydrates on presumptive ectoderm was still questioned as receptors of neural signal.