Figure 14. Endoglycan modulates cell-cell contact by interference with adhesive strength.

Based on our in vivo and in vitro studies, we postulate a model for Endoglycan function in neural circuit formation that suggests an ‘anti-adhesive’ role by modulation of many specific molecular interactions due to decreasing cell-cell contact. This model is consistent with our rescue experiments demonstrating that the source of Endoglycan did not matter, but the expression level did, as aberrant phenotypes were prevented, when Endoglycan was expressed either in the axon or in the floor plate.