Lipid-linked sugars

LIPID-LINKED SUGARS AS INTERMEDIATES IN THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES IN PLANTS... 

Besides cell-wall polysaccharides, plants contain glycoproteins, as do animal cells, and it is in the biosynthesis of glycoprotein that evidence for involvement of lipid-linked sugars has accumulated. Most of the data have been obtained for animal cells, and the subject is well covered in several reviews.1113178 Since 1964, when glycoproteins were first detected in plants,179 their wide distribution has become evident, and reviews are available.15,16,180 We shall describe aspects of this subject not as yet covered. 

Hopp, H.E., Romero, P.A., Daleo, G.R. Pont-Lezica, R. (1978) Synthesis of Cellulose Precursors. The Involvement of Lipid-linked Sugars , European Journal of Biochemistry, 84, 561-71... 

Palamarczyk, G. Chojnacki, T. (1973) Biosynthesis of Lipid-linked Sugars in Saccharomyces cerevisiad, FEBS Letters, 34, 201-3 Palamarczyk, G. Janczura, E. (1977) Lipid Mediated Glycosylation in Yeast Nuclear Membranes , FEBS Letters, 77,169-72... 

The formation of lipid-linked sugars in vitro by Bacillus stearothermophilus. Salmonella typhimurium, and Shigella jlexneri requires an unsaturated a-isoprenyl residue in a polyprenyl phosphate, in contrast to th- t in rat-liver microsomes which requires a saturated a-isoprenyl residue. o-Glucopyranosyl polyprenyl phosphate was formed on incubation of UDP-D-[ C]glucose with particulate preparations from B. stearothermophilus, and it may serve as a D-glucosyl donor in the synthesis of an extracellular polysaccharide. The properties of the membrane-associated sialyltransferase complexes of Escherichia coli have been examined. These complexes catalyse the incorporation of iV-acetylneuraminic... 

The biosynthesis and structure of polyprenol-Iinked sugars, and the role of such sugars, retinol phosphate, and vitamin K in the synthesis of glycoproteins, have been reviewed. Information on proteins that serve as acceptors and the role of glycosyl-transfer reactions involving lipid-linked sugars are also discussed. 

Lipid-linked sugars as intermediates in the biosynthesis of complex carbohydrates in plants, R. Pont Lezica, G. R. Dalev, and R. M. Dey, Adv. Carbohydr. Chem. Biochem., 44(1986) 341-386. 

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