Targeting glycosylation as a therapeutic approach.
Increased understanding of the role of protein- and lipid-linked carbohydrates in a wide range of biological processes has led to interest in drugs that target the enzymes involved in glycosylation. But given the importance of carbohydrates in fundamental cellular processes such as protein folding, therapeutic strategies that modulate, rather than ablate, the activity of enzymes involved in glycosylation are likely to be a necessity. Two such approaches that use imino sugars to affect glycosylation enzymes now show considerable promise in the treatment of viral infections, such as hepatitis B, and glucosphingolipid storage disorders, such as Gaucher disease.
Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK. rad@bioch.ox.ac.uk
Raymond A
RA
Dwek
Terry D
TD
Butters
Frances M
FM
Platt
Nicole
N
Zitzmann
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001908:Diarrhea Viruses, Bovine Viral / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005776:Gaucher Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006031:Glycosylation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006678:HIV / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D017510:Protein Folding
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006028:Glycosphingolipids