Glycans function

The following sections describe several examples of saccharide modification for the purpose of bioconjugation, the study of glycan function, to prepare immunogens, or to increase the water solubility of a modified molecule. 

Lowe, J.B. Marth, J.D. A genetic approach to mammalian glycan function. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 2003, 72, 643-691. 

Lowe JB, Marth JD (2003) A genetic approach to Mammalian glycan function. Annu Rev Biochem 72 643-691... 

Fort and coworkers studied the aggregation and protein binding properties of amphiphilic rod-coil type of glycoconjugates (111 and 112, Fig. 19) synthesized using click chemistry between suitably functionalized precursors [109]. The glycan-functionalized amphiphiles were self-assembled in aqueous medium and their size and morphologies were dictated by the amphiphilic balance (volume fraction of... 

A -glycans. On the other hand, no universal glycosidase has been available for serine/threonine-linked 0-glycans. As a more fundamental issue, some important biological aspects, e.g., density, depth, and orientation, as well as combination to other biochemical components (e.g., core protein, with which glycan functions are closely associated), would be lost if glycans were to be liberated from the core protein. Mucins are a representative case of such glycoconjugates. 

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