PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Neurodevelopment requires the controlled self-renewal and differentiation of neural stem cells. Dysregulation of
neural stem cell-related pathways occurs in many neuropathologies, even when the direction of change or genetic
alterations are distinct. We find that normal and neoplastic neural stem cells express ST6Gal1, the primary enzyme
that a2,6 sialylates N-glycosylated proteins destined for the cell surface. There are critical gaps in our understanding
of how ST6Gal1-mediated sialylation could impact cell signaling to regulate neurodevelopment, brain aging,
neurodegeneration, or gliomagenesis. To fill these gaps and further investigate the function and molecular targets
of ST6Gal1 and a2,6 sialylation in the brain, we generated two novel mouse models that permit spatial and temporal
elevation of ST6Gal1 in astrocytes and neural stem cells. We seek to characterize the expression of ST6Gal1 in
the existing mouse models over time and determine effects of ST6Gal1-mediated a2,6 sialylation on the normal and
neoplastic neural stem cell pool in vivo. In the short-term, these studies will elucidate impacts of ST6Gal1 and
sialylation in the developing brain and in gliomagenesis. Once characterized, the unique models will be a valuable
resource for the neuroscience and neuro-oncology communities to identify neuropathological roles for ST6Gal1-
mediated a2,6 sialylation.
