TABLE 1.
Glossary.
| Structural extracellular matrix molecules | ||
| CSPG | Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans | Aggrecan, brevican, neurocan, phosphacan, or versican core proteins with covalently attached glycosaminoglycan side chains |
| HSPG | Heparan sulfate proteoglycans | Agrin, syndecan, perlican, decorin, or glypican core proteins with covalently attached glycosaminoglycan side chains |
| Hyaluronan | Large non-sulfated polysaccharides, linked to proteoglycans via hyaluronan and proteoglycan link proteins (HAPLN) | |
| TN | Tenascins | Link hyaluronan-proteoglycan complexes to each other |
| PNN | Perineuronal nets | Composites of CSPG, hyaluronan, and tenascins condensed around neurons |
| GAG | Glycosaminoglycan | Long, negatively-charged, hetero sulfated chains of repeating disaccharide units |
| Integrins | Signaling medium between the ECM and intracellular cytoskeleton | |
| SEMA | Semaphorins | Axon guidance and cell morphology/Motility |
| NrCAM | Neural cell adhesion molecules | Fibronectin, laminin, focal adhesions, and integrins |
| Endogenous proteases and extracellular matrix remodeling molecules | ||
| MMP | Matrix metalloproteinases | Large family of proteases which degrade a wide range of the ECM such as hyaluronan, CSPGs, HSPGs, collagen, etc. |
| ADAMTS | A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs | Degrade specifically proteoglycans |
| Cathepsins | Serine, cysteine, or aspartyl proteases which degrade specifically CSPGs | |
| Plasminogen | A precursor of plasmin, which is a broad range proteolytic enzyme capable of degrading a wide range of ECM proteins | |
| tPA | Tissue plasminogen activator | Converters of plasminogen to its active proteolytic plasmin form |
| uPA | Urokinase plasminogen activator | |
| TIMP | Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases | Endogenous protease inhibitors that bind MMPs as their substrate |
| Miscellaneous (non-endogenous) | ||
| Doxycycline | Broad spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor | |
| FN-439 | Broad spectrum matrix metalloproteinase and collagenase-1 inhibitor | |
| ChABC | Chondroitinase ABC | Degrades glycosaminoglycan side chains |
| WFA | Wisteria floribunda agglutinin | Lectin which labels the terminal ends of chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan residues, used in a majority of studies for quantification of perineuronal nets. |