Extracellular matrix heparin induces alteration of the cell adhesion during brain development.

The studies of neuronal cell-glycosaminoglycan interactions indicate an increasing interest in the question of how heparin can mediate adhesion properties of the cell. We have found that high levels of both N-CAM concentration and heparin-binding activity were noticed in the early stages of brain formation. According to electron microscopy data, an elevation of free heparin in the substratum leads to a decrease of the N-CAM content and changing of its distribution on the membrane of cultured hippocampal neurons.