Cell migration into the damaged brain mediated by increased cell adhesion

Abstract

A new paper published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, Matsumoto et al (2024), elegantly shows that polysialic acid (PSA), has a new function—inhibition of migration. Molecular control over cell migration during brain development is essential for proper brain growth and positioning of neurons. Newborn cells frequently migrate long distances and in circuitous routes to their final destinations. Although many molecular regulators have been found that direct cell migration, the fundamental questions of how and why the cells exhibit such long-distance journeys is not well understood. This is especially true in the context of the rostral migratory stream (RMS) in the postnatal brain.