Cellular interactions, role proteins

A key related property of carbohydrates in their role as mediators of cellular interactions is the tremendous structural diversity possible within this class of molecules. Carbohydrates are built from monosaccharides, small molecules that typically contain from three to nine carbon atoms and vary in size and in the stereochemical configuration at one or more carbon centers. These monosaccharides may be linked together to form a large variety of oligosaccharide structures. The unraveling of these oligosaccharide structures, the discovery of their placement at specific sites within proteins, and the determination of their function are tremendous challenges in the field of proteomics. 

The sensitivity of cellular interactions to interfacial proteins probably is due to the presence of cell surface receptors for specific proteins and to the enhancement of receptor-protein interaction by the concentration of proteins at interfaces. To illustrate the role of specific proteins at interfaces,... 

Role of adsorbed proteins in cellular interactions with surface composition vs. state. 

Modification of adsorbed protein layers by cellular interactions, including role in "passivation". 

A major area still not clearly understood is the exact role of proteins adsorbed from complex mixtures in cellular interactions with such interfaces. Do cells interact with adsorbed protein layers according to how much of a particular protein is present or is the conformation or state of the protein more important ... 

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