title: Diversity in cell surface sialic acid presentations: implications for biology and disease.
abstract: Sialic acids (Sias) are typically found as terminal monosaccharides attached to cell surface glycoconjugates. They play many important roles in many physiological and pathological processes, including microbe binding that leads to infections, regulation of the immune response, the progression and spread of human malignancies and in certain aspects of human evolution. This review will provide some examples of these diverse roles of Sias and briefly address immunohistochemical approaches to their detection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Glycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0687, USA. VARKIADMIN@UCSD.EDU
authors.forename: Nissi M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Varki
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005732:Gangliosides; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D037102:Lectins / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D063265:Sialic Acid Binding Immunoglobulin-like Lectins; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides; D037102:Lectins; D063265:Sialic Acid Binding Immunoglobulin-like Lectins; D012794:Sialic Acids