Structure, function and pathology of O-mannosyl glycans.
Animal cells contain many glycoproteins, i.e. , proteins with covalently liked sugar chains. The major glycans of glycoproteins can be classified into two groups, N-glycans and O-glycans, according to their glycan-peptide linkage regions. Development of sensitive methods for the analyses of glycan structures have revealed a new type of glycosidic linkage to the peptide portion, the O-mannosyl linkage, in mammals, which used to be considered specific to yeast. O-Mannosylation is present in a limited number of glycoproteins of brain, nerve, and skeletal muscle. Recently O-mannosylation has been shown to be important in muscle and brain development. Glycobiology of O-mannosyl glycans is expected to produce remarkable advances in the understanding and treatment of congenital muscular dystrophies. In this article, I describe the structure, biosynthesis, and pathology of O-mannosyl glycans.
Endo
Tamao
T
Glycobiology Research Group, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Foundation for Research on Aging and Promotion of Human Welfare, 35-2 Sakaecho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan. endo@tmig.or.jp
D000818:Animals; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D008358:Mannose / Q000737:chemistry; D008954:Models, Biological; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009154:Mutation; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
D006023:Glycoproteins; D010455:Peptides; D011134:Polysaccharides; D008358:Mannose