Glycoproteins I

Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.

Part I covers modern advances in the determination of glycoprotein structure and in the biosynthesis of mammalian, bacterial, yeast, plant and insect glycoproteins. There are also two chapters on functional aspects (glycoprotein hormones and collagens). The content of the volume is very comprehensive in that, most contributors have focussed on discussing, in depth, the wealth of most recent advances in their field, and referring to previous reviews of older work for background information. This method can effectively produce a very wide subject coverage in a smaller number of chapters/volumes. The volume is an important information source for all glycobiologist researchers (senior investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students), and as a good, comprehensive, reference text for scientists working in the life sciences.

Part I covers modern advances in the determination ofglycoprotein structure and in the biosynthesis of mammalian, bacterial, yeast, plant and insect glycoproteins. There are alsotwo chapters on functional aspects (glycoprotein hormones andcollagens). The content of the volume is very comprehensive in that, mostcontributors have focussed on discussing, in depth, the wealthof most recent advances in their field, and referring to previousreviews of older work for background information. This method caneffectively produce a very wide subject coverage in a smallernumber of chapters/volumes. The volume is an importantinformation source for all glycobiologist researchers (seniorinvestigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students), andas a good, comprehensive, reference text for scientists working inthe life sciences.

Glycans play a vital role in modulating protein structure and function from involvement in protein folding, solubility and stability to regulation of tissue distribution, recognition specificity, and biological activity. They can act as both positive and negative regulators of protein function, providing an additional level of control with respect to genetic and environmental conditions. Due to the complexity of glycosylated protein forms, elucidating structural and functional information has been challenging task for researchers but recent development of chemical biology-based tools and techniques is bridging these knowledge gaps. This book provides a thorough review of the current state of glycoprotein chemical biology, describing the development and application of glycoprotein and glycan synthesis technologies for understanding and manipulating protein glycosylation.

Membrane Glycoproteins: A Review of Structure and Function deals with membrane glycoproteins found in biological systems. The book describes the structure and biosynthesis of the glycoproteins in relation to known or postulated functions in membranes. The text opens with an introduction and a topic on detection and distribution of membrane glycoproteins. The book then notes that the isolation of membrane glycoproteins brought by the progress in research and technology of membrane solubilization and purification of the soluble components is now possible. Discussion is also directed to glycoproteins as being integral components of intracellular membranes, and not just located on cell surfaces. Through the structural analysis of glycoproteins produced by the secretory glands, analysis of human blood group antigens is available. Likewise, discoveries are made, explaining that lectins are useful reagents in detecting the type and numbers of glycoproteins found on cellular members. Lectins are likewise being widely used in tests for carbohydrate-containing substances in membrane-mediated processes. The metabolism, growth control, and cell surface reactions of membrane glycoproteins are also explained. The book can serve as a guide for biologists, chemists, biochemists, and academicians interested in the study of membranes or glycoproteins.

Part II of this excellent work covers proteoglycans and mucins and deals with many more examples of glycoprotein function. It also covers glycoproteins from four more species (slime mold, snails, fish, batracians). The content of the volume is very comprehensive in that most contributors are focussed on discussing, in depth, the wealth of most recent advances in their field, referring to previous reviews of older work for background information. This method effectively produces a very wide subject coverage in a smaller number of chapters/volumes. The volume is an important information source for all glycobiologist researchers (senior investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students), and as a good, comprehensive, reference text for scientists working in the life sciences.

This book is in many ways a sequel to The Biochemistry ojGlycoproteins and Proteoglycans. The enormous recent progress in understanding the biological roles of glycoproteins has prompted the present volume. The reasons for studying glycoproteins have multiplied, and in the present volume the roles played by glycoproteins are explored in a variety of biological situations. The first two chapters describe molecules involved in cell-substratum and cell-cell interactions in a broad sense, and also focus on recent progress in identifying specific attachment molecules. Our understanding of how normal processes, such as cellular differentiation and tissue organization, are regulated is dependent on understanding how cells interact with the extracellular matrix. When these processes go awry the consequences can be tragic, for example, when manifest as birth de fects and cancer. Our ability to devise appropriate therapies is in many cases limited by our understanding of such cell-matrix interactions. The third chapter explores the roles by glycoproteins during early mammalian development. The carbohydrate portions c1early play very important roles in presenting information during early embryogenesis, and an unusual tumor stern cell, the embryonal carcinoma, looks very promising in pro viding an experimental system for understanding how the expression of these complex carbohydrate determinants is regulated. The next three chapters explore the biology of glycoproteins in distinct situations: in the immune system, in the nervous system, and during erythropoiesis.

Although glycoproteins and proteoglycans have been a subject of re search for many years, it is only during the last five or so years that they have aroused the interest of a very broad cross section of investigators in the biological sciences. The reason for this expanded interest in these molecules is simple: not only are glycoproteins and proteoglycans ubiq uitous, but many are molecules with well-defined and important biological functions. The list of molecules that fall into this category grows daily; interferon, immunoglobulins, certain hormones, many cell surface recep tors, and viral coat proteins are but a few examples. Thus, investigators with interests as diverse as viral replication. cell-cell interactions. poly isoprenoid synthesis, secretory processes, hormone responses, embryonic development, and immunology have become concerned with glycopro teins and proteoglycans. The objective of this book is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the biochemistry of these molecules. Coverage is by no means encyclopedic; rather the thrust is to emphasize the recent ad vances. The first chapter deals primarily with structural work on the oligosaccharide chains of glycoproteins, but it will be apparent in it and in the succeeding two chapters on biosynthesis that not only do structural studies aid biosynthetic investigations, but that studies on biosynthesis often playa major role in elucidation of structure.