Proteoglycans and Brain Repair

Francesca Properzi and James W. Fawcett Brain Repair Centre, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 2PY, United Kingdom Proteoglycans are complex molecules composed of long, unbranched sugar chains attached to a protein core. In the mammalian central nervous system, they are a major component of the extracellular matrix and of the cellular surface. After a central nervous system injury, their expression in the lesion area changes strongly and contributes to the inhibition of axon regrowth and brain repair.