The biology of sialic acids has been an object of interest in many models of acquired and inherited skeletal muscle pathology. The present study focuses on the sialylation changes in mouse skeletal muscle after invasion by the parasitic nematode Trichinella spiralis (Owen, 1835). Asynchronous infection with T. spiralis was induced in mice that were sacrificed at different time points of the muscle phase of the disease. The amounts of free sialic acid, sialylated glycoproteins and total sialyltransferase activity were quantified. Histochemistry with lectins specific for sialic acid was performed in order to localise distribution of sialylated glycoconjugates and to clarify the type of linkage of the sialic acid residues on the carbohydrate chains. Elevated intracellular accumulation of α-2,3- and α-2,6-sialylated glycoconjugates was found only within the affected sarcoplasm of muscle fibres invaded by the parasite. The levels of free and protein-bound sialic acid were increased and the total sialyltransferase activity was also elevated in the skeletal muscle tissue of animals with trichinellosis. We suggest that the biological significance of this phenomenon might be associated with securing integrity of the newly formed nurse cell within the surrounding healthy skeletal muscle tissue. The increased sialylation might inhibit the affected muscle cell contractility through decreased membrane ion gating, helping the parasite accommodation process.

• Keywords
• sialylace,
• MeSH
• Staining and Labeling statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Fluorescence MeSH
• Glycoproteins biosynthesis   MeSH
• Histological Techniques MeSH
• Muscle Fibers, Skeletal parasitology   pathology   ultrastructure   MeSH
• Sialic Acids * analysis   biosynthesis   MeSH
• Lectins analysis   biosynthesis   classification   MeSH
• Models, Animal MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Statistics as Topic MeSH
• Trichinella spiralis * immunology   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Mice MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

• MeSH
• Invertebrates MeSH
• Biomarkers MeSH
• Biomedical Research MeSH
• Epidermal Cells MeSH
• Epidermis MeSH
• Epithelial Cells cytology   classification   metabolism   MeSH
• Financing, Organized MeSH
• Galectin 3 diagnostic use   isolation & purification   classification   MeSH
• Galectins * diagnostic use   isolation & purification   classification   MeSH
• Vocal Cords cytology   MeSH
• Langerhans Cells cytology   MeSH
• Lectins diagnostic use   isolation & purification   classification   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Ligands MeSH
• Cornea cytology   MeSH
• Plants MeSH
• Neoplasms, Squamous Cell genetics   immunology   MeSH
• Statistics as Topic MeSH
• Mouth Mucosa cytology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH

• MeSH
• Antigens, Surface genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Killer Cells, Natural cytology   immunology   drug effects   MeSH
• Cytotoxicity, Immunologic MeSH
• Lectins isolation & purification   classification   metabolism   MeSH
• Carbohydrates pharmacology   immunology   MeSH
• Signal Transduction MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH