Vertebrate protein glycosylation: diversity, synthesis and function

KW Moremen, M Tiemeyer, AV Nairn - Nature reviews Molecular cell …, 2012 - nature.com
KW Moremen, M Tiemeyer, AV Nairn
Nature reviews Molecular cell biology, 2012nature.com
Protein glycosylation is a ubiquitous post-translational modification found in all domains of
life. Despite their significant complexity in animal systems, glycan structures have crucial
biological and physiological roles, from contributions in protein folding and quality control to
involvement in a large number of biological recognition events. As a result, they impart an
additional level of'information content'to underlying polypeptide structures. Improvements in
analytical methodologies for dissecting glycan structural diversity, along with recent …
Abstract
Protein glycosylation is a ubiquitous post-translational modification found in all domains of life. Despite their significant complexity in animal systems, glycan structures have crucial biological and physiological roles, from contributions in protein folding and quality control to involvement in a large number of biological recognition events. As a result, they impart an additional level of 'information content' to underlying polypeptide structures. Improvements in analytical methodologies for dissecting glycan structural diversity, along with recent developments in biochemical and genetic approaches for studying glycan biosynthesis and catabolism, have provided a greater understanding of the biological contributions of these complex structures in vertebrates.
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