# CHICK CELL SURFACE GLYCOPROTEINS IN EMBRYOGENESIS

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 1994 · $244,316

## Abstract

Cell-cell adhesion plays an important role in the development and in the
function of adult tissues.  Our characterization of the neural cell
adhesion molecule, N-CAM, and the liver cell adhesion molecule, L-CAM,
provided the first detailed description of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)
and their genes.  These primary CAMs are both found in early embryonic
cells and on adult cells derived from all three germ layers.  In contrast,
secondary CAMs such as the neuron-glia CAM (Ng-CAM) appear later in
development and have more restricted tissue distributions.  We have
recently determined the structure of Ng-CAM, and other investigators have
characterized other CAMs.  Most of these cell surface glycoproteins can be
grouped into one of two families, one resembling N-CAM and the other
resembling L-CAM.  N-CAM-related molecules contain segments similar to
immunoglobulin domains; they are expressed in a variety of tissues and some
have been correlated with disease states, particularly cancer.  L-CAM-
related molecules differ significantly in structure from those in the N-CAM
family and mediate calcium-dependent adhesion.  Despite the identification
of new CAMs, the number of primary CAMs remain small, supporting the view
that the regulation of CAM expression and modulation of CAM activities are
as critical to developmental processes as is the specificity of CAM
binding.

We will now focus our efforts on describing the genomic elements and trans-
acting factors involved in the regulation of the expression of N-CAM and L-
CAM and on identifying proteins that modulate their activity.  We will also
characterize the gene for Ng-CAM and assess the binding activity of Ng-CAM
relative to that of N-CAM.  Regulatory genomic elements will be obtained
from bacteriophage clones and cosmid clones and will be assayed with
reporter genes in transfected cells and in chimeric chickens and transgenic
mice.  Protein chemistry, molecular biology, cellular transfection, and
immunological techniques will be used to identify trans-acting factors and
to analyze molecules that affect CAM binding.  Identifying the factors that
regulate and influence CAM expression and activity could open the way for
understanding basic developmental processes such as induction and
differentiation, as well as a variety of pathological conditions including
birth defects, tumor onset and metastasis, and degenerative processes in
aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2197317
- **Project number:** 5R01HD016550-13
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** PHZJFZ32NKH4
- **Principal Investigator:** BRUCE A CUNNINGHAM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $244,316
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1990-12-27 → 1995-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2197317

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2197317, CHICK CELL SURFACE GLYCOPROTEINS IN EMBRYOGENESIS (5R01HD016550-13). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2197317. Licensed CC0.

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