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Related Concept Videos

Glycosaminoglycans01:23

Glycosaminoglycans

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), also known as mucopolysaccharides, are long and linear polymers comprising of specific repeating disaccharides - the amino sugar that can be N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine, and a uronic acid that is usually glucuronic acid or iduronic acid.
GAGS are found in the extracellular matrix of vertebrates, invertebrates, and bacteria. Due to their polar nature they attract water, and serve as excellent lubricants or shock absorbers in an animal body.
Hyaluronic...
Oligosaccharide Assembly01:24

Oligosaccharide Assembly

Protein glycosylation starts in the ER lumen and continues in the Golgi apparatus. Glycosyltransferases catalyze the addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins. Usually, these enzymes add sugars to the hydroxyl groups of selected serine or threonine residues to form O-linked glycans or the amino groups of asparagine residues to form N-linked glycans. Different positions on the same polypeptide chain can contain differently linked glycans.
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Membrane Carbohydrates01:30

Membrane Carbohydrates

The plasma membrane is a dynamic barrier composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. It is the epicenter of many cellular processes required for cell growth and survival. Carbohydrates have unique structural and chemical properties that help the plasma membrane to carry out its functions effectively.
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...
Membrane Carbohydrates01:30

Membrane Carbohydrates

The plasma membrane is a dynamic barrier composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. It is the epicenter of many cellular processes required for cell growth and survival. Carbohydrates have unique structural and chemical properties that help the plasma membrane to carry out its functions effectively.
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...
Proteoglycans01:05

Proteoglycans

Glycans, a class of complex heterogeneous molecules, can be covalently attached to proteins to form glycosylated proteins that regulate various physiological and pathological processes. Glycosylated proteins or glycoproteins comprise N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides. O-glycosylation is the most common type of protein glycosylation. Here, glycans attach to the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl groups of Serine or Threonine residues. O-linked glycosylation occurs later in protein processing,...
Protein Glycosylation01:25

Protein Glycosylation

Glycosylation, the most common post-translational modification for proteins, serves diverse functions. Adding sugars to proteins makes the proteins more resistant to proteolytic digestion. Glycosylated proteins can act as markers and receptors to promote cell-cell adhesion. Additionally, they have many essential quality control functions in the cell, such as correct protein folding and facilitating transport of misfolded proteins to the cytosol, which can be degraded.
Glycosylation occurs in...

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Metabolic Glycoengineering of Sialic Acid Using N-acyl-modified Mannosamines
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Published on: November 25, 2017

Membrane oligo- and polysialic acids.

Teresa Janas1, Tadeusz Janas

  • 1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA. teresa.janas@colorado.edu

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|September 20, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Polysialic acid (polySia) and oligosialic acid (oligoSia) are membrane-bound sugar chains with diverse structures and functions. These molecules influence cell interactions, neural development, and disease processes.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Glycobiology

Background:

  • Polysialic acid (polySia) and oligosialic acid (oligoSia) are linear polysaccharides composed of sialic acid monomers.
  • These carbohydrate chains are predominantly found attached to cell membranes, exhibiting significant diversity in length, occurrence, and biological roles.
  • The mode of membrane attachment varies, including linkages to phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, and glycoproteins, with distinct mechanisms in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the structural diversity and biological significance of membrane-bound polysialic acid and oligosialic acid.
  • To explore the varied mechanisms of membrane attachment for poly/oligoSia in different cell types.
  • To highlight the involvement of poly/oligoSia in crucial physiological and pathological processes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of existing research on polysialic acid and oligosialic acid.
  • Analysis of structural variations and membrane attachment modes.
  • Compilation of data on biological functions and implications in human health and disease.

Main Results:

  • Poly/oligoSia chains display considerable diversity in chain length and attachment to membranes via various anchors like phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, and glycoproteins.
  • Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells utilize distinct glycosidic linkages for attaching poly/oligoSia to membrane anchors.
  • These sugar chains are prevalent in neural membranes and play roles in brain development, schizophrenia, cancer metastasis, bacterial infections, and immune responses.

Conclusions:

  • Membrane-bound poly/oligoSia are critical regulators of cellular interactions and physiological processes.
  • Their diverse structures and attachment mechanisms contribute to their wide-ranging biological functions.
  • Understanding poly/oligoSia is essential for insights into neural plasticity, disease pathogenesis, and host-pathogen interactions.