Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Assays for the Degradation of Misfolded Proteins in Cells
Published on: August 28, 2016
Sulfated glycosaminoglycans in protein aggregation diseases
Kazuchika Nishitsuji1, Kenji Uchimura2
1Department of Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, 770-8503, Japan.
Abstract:
Protein aggregation diseases are characterized by intracellular or extracellular deposition of misfolded and aggregated proteins. These aggregated deposits contain multiple proteinaceous and non-protein components that are thought to play critical roles in the etiology and pathogenesis of protein aggregation diseases in vivo. One of these components, the sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), includes heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and keratan sulfate. The sulfated GAGs are negatively charged heteropolysaccharides expressed in all mammalian tissues. Enzymatically generated structural patterns and the degree of sulfation in GAGs determine GAGs' specific interactions with their protein ligands. Here, we review the potential roles of the sulfated GAGs in the pathogenesis and progression of protein aggregation diseases from a perspective of their sulfation modification. We also discuss the possibility of sulfated GAGs as therapeutic targets for protein aggregation diseases.
Related Concept Videos
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Protein Glycosylation
Glycosylation occurs in...
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Amyloid Fibrils
Amyloid deposits were observed as early as 1639 in the liver and the spleen. In 1854, Rudolph Virchow performed iodine staining, normally used to...
Proteoglycans
Glycosaminoglycans
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...

