Dr. Elam's research centers on the roles of glycoproteins in nerve-cell maintenance and response to injury. A particular focus is on molecules that are moved do wn the nerve-cell axon by the process of axonal transport and on a specific subclass of glycoproteins called proteoglycans. Axonal transport is known to be esse ntial for maintaining the physiological viability of axons and synaptic terminals in mature neural tissue and for the formation of axons and synaptic terminals during development and nerve regeneration. Proteoglycans are of particular interest because they are found to play important functional roles in axonal-synaptic physiology and in the guidance of axons during developmental or regenerative growth.

Studies are conducted on fish because of the accessibility of certain elements of the nervous system and their remarkable capacity for nervous-system regeneration. Experiments are conducted in vivo to characteriz e axonally transported glycoproteins, whereas cell-culture studies are used to assess the various functions of the transported molecules.

The long-term objective of this research is to improve understanding of the functions of certain patterns of protein glycosylation in normal axonal and synap tic physiology and in the special molecular environments that favor axonal growth and synapse formation. It is particularly hoped that glycosylation patterns r equired for successful recovery from nerve injury will be identifed.