Oligosaccharides as recognition structures
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

OLIgo Mass Profiling (OLIMP) of Extracellular Polysaccharides
Published on: June 20, 2010
1Section of Glycoconjugate Research, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex, UK.
Abstract:
The diverse O-linked oligosaccharide structures of the glycoproteins in mucus have the potential for encoding a vast amount of biological information. A major challenge in modern cell biology is to devise ways of decoding the information in these and other oligosaccharide structures of N-linked chains and glycolipids. In this article, I highlight some studies of oligosaccharide antigenicity, and discuss the way the results are being interpreted with respect to oligosaccharide function. I conclude with a discussion of a new technology that is under development with the aim of investigating oligosaccharide recognition in diverse biological systems.
Related Concept Videos
What are Carbohydrates?
Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Protein Glycosylation
Glycosylation occurs in...
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Proteoglycans
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides

