α-Dystroglycan is a heavily glycosylated protein, which is localized on the Schwann cell
membrane as well as the sarcolemma, and links the transmembrane protein β-dystroglycan
to laminin in the extracellular matrix. We have shown previously that sialidase treatment, but
not N-glycanase treatment, of bovine peripheral nerve α-dystroglycan greatly reduces its
binding activity to laminin, suggesting that the sialic acid of O-glycosidically-linked
oligosaccharides may be essential for this binding. In this report, we analyzed the structures …