The Biochemistry Of Glycoproteins And Proteoglycans

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.

The past two decades have seen an expansion of interest in glycoproteins. From being a borderline area between carbohydrate and protein chemistry, it has become relevant to a wide range of biological phenomena. The aim of the book is to describe techniques which can be used to answer some of the basic questions about glycosylated proteins. Methods are discussed for isolation; compositional analysis; structure carbohydrate units; protein-carbohydrate linkages, keeping in mind the diverse nature of problems which readers may have to tackle.

The Glycoconjugates: Mammalian Glycoproteins, Glycolipids, and Proteoglycans Volume III is a collaboration of different experts in the field of molecular biology on the subject of glycoconjugates. The third volume covers topics such as the glycosylation of proteins, inhibition of lipid-dependent glycosylation, and the relationship between translation and glycosylation. Also included are topics such as the intracellular transport of glycoproteins, the nonenzymatic glycosylation of proteins, and the glycosyltransferases and proteoglycans in the colon and B and T cells. The book is recommended for molecular biologists, organic chemists, and biochemists who would like to know more about glycolipids and glycoproteins and their applications.

The Glycoconjugates: Mammalian Glycoproteins, Glycolipids, and Proteoglycans Volume II is a collaboration of different experts in the field of molecular biology on the subject of glycoconjugates. The text of the second volume covers topics such as the structure and biosynthesis of connective tissue proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids; and glycoprotein and glycolipid catabolism and degradation. It also discusses the structure, composition, and isolation of surface membranes; and lectins – its immunological aspects and its use in the study of mammalian glycoprotein. The book is recommended for molecular biologists, organic chemists, and biochemists who would like to know more about glycolipids and glycoproteins and their applications.

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.

The Glycoconjugates: Mammalian Glycoproteins, Glycolipids, and Proteoglycans Volume IV is a collaboration of different experts in the field of molecular biology on the subject of glycoconjugates. The fourth volume covers topics such as the uptake of glycoconjugates and transport of lysozomal enzymes, and the hepatic receptor for asialoglycoproteins. Also covered in this volume are topics such as the use of neoglycoproteins as probes for binding and cellular uptake of glycoconjugates; the transfer of glycoconjugates from living to fixed cells; and the biosynthesis, function, and host interaction of virus glycolipids and glycoproteins. The book is recommended for molecular biologists, organic chemists, and biochemists who would like to know more about glycolipids and glycoproteins and their applications.

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.

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.