Oligosaccharides as recognition structures.
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.
Feizi
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Section of Glycoconjugate Research, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex, UK.
D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D015335:Molecular Probes; D009093:Mucus / Q000502:physiology*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D006017:Glycolipids; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008024:Ligands; D015335:Molecular Probes; D009844:Oligosaccharides