title: The biosynthesis of branched O-glycans.
abstract: The hypothesis put forward in this review is that the branching patterns at the core of Ser(Thr)-GalNAc oligosaccharides (O-glycans) determine the types of glycan that are synthesized and their functions. Biosynthetic pathways are presented for the four types of O-glycan core and for some of the more common glycans that are built on these cores. The four core types discussed are: (1) Gal beta 1-3GalNAc-alpha-Ser(Thr)-R, (2) Gal beta 1-3(GlcNAc beta 1-6)GalNAc-alpha-Ser(Thr)-R, (3) GlcNAc beta 1-3GalNAc-alpha-Ser(Thr)-R, and (4) GlcNAc beta 1-3(GlcNAc beta 1-6)GalNAc-alpha-Ser(Thr)-R. General rules concerning the control of synthesis of these molecules are derived.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schachter
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brockhausen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D006602:Hexosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D006602:Hexosyltransferases