Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Glycosylation is the most common post-translational modification in the brain. Aberrant glycosylation patterns are present in cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Specifically, dysregulation of a particular form of terminal glycoconjugate modification, sialylation, has been identified in AD.

Distinct patterns of plaque and microglia glycosylation in Alzheimer's disease.

Glycosylation is the most common form of post-translational modification in the brain. Aberrant glycosylation has been observed in cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases, including dysregulation of terminal sialic acid (SA) modifications. While alterations in sialylation have been identified in AD, the localization of SA modifications on cellular or aggregate-associated glycans is largely unknown because of limited spatial resolution of commonly utilized methods.