Protein-saccharide links: types

Figure 1.10 Various Other Types of Protein-Saccharide Link. Many other types of protein-carbohydrate link are known. Structure (a) is common to many collagens, including those of mammals (b) is found in earthworm cuticular collagens and (c) is known from the collagen of Nereis sp. and related structures occur in earthworms.

The aqueous Diels-Alder reaction has also been used for bioconjugate studies. A Diels-Alder reaction of diene oligonucleotides with maleimide dieneophiles was used to prepare oligonucleotide conjugates in aqueous media under mild conditions (Eq. 12.39).102 A Diels-Alder-type cycloaddition of an electronically matched pair of saccharide-linked conjugated dienes and a dienophile-equipped protein was the... 

FIGURE 9.26 The carbohydrate tnoiedes of glycoproteins may be linked to the protein via (a) serine or threonine residues (in the O-linked saccharides) or (b) asparagine residues (in the N-linked saccharides), (c) N-Linked glycoproteins are of three types high mannose, complex, and hybrid, the latter of which combines structures found in the high mannose and complex saccharides. 

It is necessary to remember that as well as organic cross-links, elements such as boron, silicon and calcium cross-link all the major external proteins and saccharides even in the walls of prokaryotes. Many of the cross-linking binding sites are of oxidised side chains of biopolymers. As described in Section 8.10, certain of these elements form mineral deposits but now these minerals are frequently found inside the multi-cellular organisms. Here, we see a great difference between the chemo-types of plants and animals. The acidity of the extracellular fluids of plants differs from the neutral fluid of animals. It is not possible to precipitate calcium carbonates (shells) or phosphates (bones) in plants due to the weak acid character of these anions (see Table 8.12). Plants therefore precipitate silica and calcium... 

Like ricin, abrin is a type 2 ribosome inactivating protein with A and B chains linked by a disulphide bond. The abrin A chain comprises 251 amino acid residues compared to 267 in the ricin A chain, both having three folding structural domains and a molecular weight of approximately 30 kDa. The abrin B chain has a molecular weight of 35 kDa with 60% of its amino acid residues identical to those of ricin s B chain. Both B chains have two saccharide binding sites which are highly conserved between the two toxins. 

Many plasma membrane proteins contain domains of mucin type with clustered O-linked glycans the peptide cores within these clusters adopt stiff and extended conformations, representing rods from which the saccharides protrude [5]. 

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