Biological roles of oligosaccharides: all of the theories are correct
- PMID: 8490246
- PMCID: PMC7108619
- DOI: 10.1093/glycob/3.2.97
Biological roles of oligosaccharides: all of the theories are correct
Update in
-
Biological roles of glycans.Glycobiology. 2017 Jan;27(1):3-49. doi: 10.1093/glycob/cww086. Epub 2016 Aug 24. Glycobiology. 2017. PMID: 27558841 Free PMC article. Review.
Abstract
Many different theories have been advanced concerning the biological roles of the oligosaccharide units of individual classes of glycoconjugates. Analysis of the evidence indicates that while all of these theories are correct, exceptions to each can also be found. The biological roles of oligosaccharides appear to span the spectrum from those that are trivial, to those that are crucial for the development, growth, function or survival of an organism. Some general principles emerge. First, it is difficult to predict a priori the functions a given oligosaccharide on a given glycoconjugate might be mediating, or their relative importance to the organism. Second, the same oligosaccharide sequence may mediate different functions at different locations within the same organism, or at different times in its ontogeny or life cycle. Third, the more specific and crucial biological roles of oligosaccharides are often mediated by unusual oligosaccharide sequences, unusual presentations of common terminal sequences, or by further modifications of the sugars themselves. However, such oligosaccharide sequences are also more likely to be targets for recognition by pathogenic toxins and microorganisms. As such, they are subject to more intra- and inter-species variation because of ongoing host-pathogen interactions during evolution. In the final analysis, the only common features of the varied functions of oligosaccharides are that they either mediate 'specific recognition' events or that they provide 'modulation' of biological processes. In so doing, they generate much of the functional diversity required for the development and differentiation of complex organisms, and for their interactions with other organisms in the environment.
Similar articles
-
Evolutionary considerations in relating oligosaccharide diversity to biological function.Glycobiology. 1999 Aug;9(8):747-55. doi: 10.1093/glycob/9.8.747. Glycobiology. 1999. PMID: 10406840 Review.
-
Molecular Functions of Glycoconjugates in Autophagy.J Mol Biol. 2016 Aug 14;428(16):3305-3324. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2016.06.011. Epub 2016 Jun 23. J Mol Biol. 2016. PMID: 27345664 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Chemical glycobiology.Science. 2001 Mar 23;291(5512):2357-64. doi: 10.1126/science.1059820. Science. 2001. PMID: 11269316 Review.
-
Tandem mass spectra of glycan substructures enable the multistage mass spectrometric identification of determinants on oligosaccharides.Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2013 May 15;27(9):931-9. doi: 10.1002/rcm.6527. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2013. PMID: 23592194
-
Will the transgenic mouse serve as a Rosetta Stone to glycoconjugate function?Glycoconj J. 1994 Feb;11(1):3-8. doi: 10.1007/BF00732424. Glycoconj J. 1994. PMID: 8193551 Review.
Cited by
-
The three-sided right-handed β-helix is a versatile fold for glycan interactions.Glycobiology. 2024 May 26;34(7):cwae037. doi: 10.1093/glycob/cwae037. Glycobiology. 2024. PMID: 38767844 Review.
-
Development of Glycosylation-Modified DPPA-1 Compounds as Innovative PD-1/PD-L1 Blockers: Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation.Molecules. 2024 Apr 22;29(8):1898. doi: 10.3390/molecules29081898. Molecules. 2024. PMID: 38675717 Free PMC article.
-
Sialic acids in infection and their potential use in detection and protection against pathogens.RSC Chem Biol. 2023 Dec 19;5(3):167-188. doi: 10.1039/d3cb00155e. eCollection 2024 Mar 6. RSC Chem Biol. 2023. PMID: 38456038 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Modification of N-Linked Glycan Sites in Viral Glycoproteins.Methods Mol Biol. 2024;2762:27-41. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3666-4_3. Methods Mol Biol. 2024. PMID: 38315358
-
Inherited Retinal Degeneration Caused by Dehydrodolichyl Diphosphate Synthase Mutation-Effect of an ALG6 Modifier Variant.Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 13;25(2):1004. doi: 10.3390/ijms25021004. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID: 38256083 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Molecular Biology Databases
Research Materials