{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T11:51:04Z","timestamp":1778154664385,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,14]],"date-time":"2023-07-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1689292800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Physiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Polysialic acid (polySia) is a carbohydrate polymer that modulates several cellular processes, such as migration, proliferation and differentiation processes. In the brain, its essential impact during postnatal development is well known. However, in most other polySia positive organs, only its localization has been described so far. For instance, in the murine epididymis, smooth muscle cells of the epididymal duct are polysialylated during the first 2\u00a0weeks of postnatal development. To understand the role of polySia during the development of the epididymis, the consequences of its loss were investigated in postnatal polySia knockout mice. As expected, no polysialylation was visible in the absence of the polysialyltransferases ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV. Interestingly, cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PGK1), which is essentially involved in smooth muscle cell relaxation, was not detectable in peritubular smooth muscle cells when tissue sections of polySia knockout mice were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. In contrast to this signaling molecule, the structural proteins smooth muscle actin (SMA) and calponin were expressed. As shown before, in the duct system of the testis, even the expression of these structural proteins was impaired due to the loss of polySia. We now found that the rete testis, connecting the duct system of the testis and epididymis, was extensively dilated. The obtained data suggest that less differentiated smooth muscle cells of the testis and epididymis result in disturbed contractility and thus, fluid transport within the duct system visible in the enlarged rete testis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2023.1240296","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,14]],"date-time":"2023-07-14T21:45:12Z","timestamp":1689371112000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Knockout of the polysialyltransferases ST8SiaII and ST8SiaIV leads to a dilatation of rete testis during postnatal development"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Luisa","family":"Humpfle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nadim E.","family":"Hachem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Simon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Birgit","family":"Weinhold","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sebastian P.","family":"Galuska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ralf","family":"Middendorff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"921","DOI":"10.1093\/glycob\/cwac048","article-title":"N-glycolylated carbohydrates in nature","volume":"32","author":"Awofiranye","year":"2022","journal-title":"Glycobiology"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1282","DOI":"10.1093\/cvr\/cvx125","article-title":"Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular smooth muscle cells: Differentiation and therapeutic potential","volume":"113","author":"Ayoubi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Cardiovasc. Res."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"959","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2019.00959","article-title":"Glycans as modulators for the formation and functional properties of neutrophil extracellular traps: Used by the forces of good and evil","volume":"10","author":"Bornh\u00f6fft","year":"2019","journal-title":"Front. Immunol."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"219","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dci.2018.05.008","article-title":"Siglecs: A journey through the evolution of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-type lectins","volume":"86","author":"Bornhofft","year":"2018","journal-title":"Dev. Comp. Immunol."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"635","DOI":"10.1016\/s0300-9084(01)01293-7","article-title":"Roles, regulation, and mechanism of polysialic acid function during neural development","volume":"83","author":"Bruses","year":"2001","journal-title":"Biochimie"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"498","DOI":"10.3109\/10409238.2014.976606","article-title":"Polysialic acid: Biosynthesis, novel functions and applications","volume":"49","author":"Colley","year":"2014","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1194","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.82.4.1194","article-title":"NZB mouse system for production of monoclonal antibodies to weak bacterial antigens: Isolation of an IgG antibody to the polysaccharide capsules of Escherichia coli K1 and group B meningococci","volume":"82","author":"Frosch","year":"1985","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A."},{"key":"B8","first-page":"253","article-title":"Evolution of glycan diversity","volume-title":"Essentials of glycobiology","author":"Gagneux","year":"2015"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.3390\/biology6020027","article-title":"Is polysialylated NCAM not only a regulator during brain development but also during the formation of other organs?","volume":"6","author":"Galuska","year":"2017","journal-title":"Biol. (Basel)"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"417","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4939-2760-9_28","article-title":"Mass spectrometric analysis of oligo- and polysialic acids","volume":"1321","author":"Galuska","year":"2015","journal-title":"Methods Mol. Biol."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115145","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2019.115145","article-title":"Recent advances in the analysis of polysialic acid from complex biological systems","volume":"224","author":"Guo","year":"2019","journal-title":"Carbohydr. Polym."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1347","DOI":"10.3390\/cells10061347","article-title":"The loss of polysialic acid impairs the contractile phenotype of peritubular smooth muscle cells in the postnatal testis","volume":"10","author":"Hachem","year":"2021","journal-title":"Cells"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1112","DOI":"10.1093\/glycob\/cwv049","article-title":"Protective effects of polysialic acid on proteolytic cleavage of FGF2 and proBDNF\/BDNF","volume":"25","author":"Hane","year":"2015","journal-title":"Glycobiology"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"509","DOI":"10.1038\/37352","article-title":"A role for oestrogens in the male reproductive system","volume":"390","author":"Hess","year":"1997","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1044","DOI":"10.1093\/glycob\/cwn084","article-title":"Direct binding of polysialic acid to a brain-derived neurotrophic factor depends on the degree of polymerization","volume":"18","author":"Kanato","year":"2008","journal-title":"Glycobiology"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn1349","article-title":"Glycans and neural cell interactions","volume":"5","author":"Kleene","year":"2004","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Neurosci."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"916","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469-7580.2009.01080.x","article-title":"Morphological comparison of the testis and efferent ductules between wild-type and estrogen receptor alpha knockout mice during postnatal development","volume":"214","author":"Lee","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Anat."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3710","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.M111.276618","article-title":"Novel regulation of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2)-mediated cell growth by polysialic acid","volume":"287","author":"Ono","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Biol. Chem."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn2285","article-title":"Polysialic acid in the plasticity of the developing and adult vertebrate nervous system","volume":"9","author":"Rutishauser","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Neurosci."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1093\/jb\/mvt057","article-title":"Disialic, oligosialic and polysialic acids: Distribution, functions and related disease","volume":"154","author":"Sato","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Biochem."},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100892","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mam.2020.100892","article-title":"Polysialylation and disease","volume":"79","author":"Sato","year":"2020","journal-title":"Mol. Asp. Med."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1152\/physrev.00033.2013","article-title":"Sialic acids in the brain: Gangliosides and polysialic acid in nervous system development, stability, disease, and regeneration","volume":"94","author":"Schnaar","year":"2014","journal-title":"Physiol. Rev."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0123960","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0123960","article-title":"Polysialylation of NCAM characterizes the proliferation period of contractile elements during postnatal development of the epididymis","volume":"10","author":"Simon","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jprot.2015.11.022","article-title":"Glycomics: Revealing the dynamic ecology and evolution of sugar molecules","volume":"135","author":"Springer","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Proteomics"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1186\/s13578-018-0262-y","article-title":"Polysialic acid is released by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro","volume":"8","author":"Strubl","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cell. Biosci."},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"635","DOI":"10.1002\/mrd.22500","article-title":"Sugar-coated sperm: Unraveling the functions of the mammalian sperm glycocalyx","volume":"82","author":"Tecle","year":"2015","journal-title":"Mol. Reprod. Dev."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1093\/glycob\/cww086","article-title":"Biological roles of glycans","volume":"27","author":"Varki","year":"2017","journal-title":"Glycobiology"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1096\/fasebj.2020.34.s1.00178","article-title":"PAMPs, DAMPs and SAMPs: Host glycans are self\u2010associated molecular patterns, but subject to microbial molecular mimicry","volume":"34","author":"Varki","year":"2020","journal-title":"FASEB J."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1450","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/der077","article-title":"Disturbed spermatogenesis associated with thickened lamina propria of seminiferous tubules is not caused by dedifferentiation of myofibroblasts","volume":"26","author":"Volkmann","year":"2011","journal-title":"Hum. Reprod."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1016\/j.colsurfb.2016.11.022","article-title":"Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and GAG mimetics regulate the behavior of stem cell differentiation","volume":"150","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Colloids Surfaces B Biointerfaces"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"42971","DOI":"10.1074\/jbc.M511097200","article-title":"Genetic ablation of polysialic acid causes severe neurodevelopmental defects rescued by deletion of the neural cell adhesion molecule","volume":"280","author":"Weinhold","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Biol. Chem."},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"823","DOI":"10.1089\/scd.2019.0009","article-title":"Glycosaminoglycans: A link between development and regeneration in the lung","volume":"28","author":"Wig\u00e9n","year":"2019","journal-title":"Stem Cells Dev."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2017.08.028","article-title":"Deriving vascular smooth muscle cells from mesenchymal stromal cells: Evolving differentiation strategies and current understanding of their mechanisms","volume":"145","author":"Zhang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Biomaterials"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"720","DOI":"10.3390\/polym9120720","article-title":"Individual impact of distinct polysialic acid chain lengths on the cytotoxicity of histone H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4","volume":"9","author":"Zlatina","year":"2017","journal-title":"Polym. (Basel)"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Physiology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fphys.2023.1240296\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,14]],"date-time":"2023-07-14T21:45:15Z","timestamp":1689371115000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fphys.2023.1240296\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,14]]},"references-count":34,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fphys.2023.1240296"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fphys.2023.1240296","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-042X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-042X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,14]]},"article-number":"1240296"}}