Proteoglycans and Selectins

All eucaryotic cells possess a carbohydrate-rich coating known as the glycocalyx, depicted in Fig. 3. Membrane proteins may be decorated or masked by these carbohydrates, which occur as oligosaccharide side chains covalently bound to membrane proteins or lipids, and as polysaccharide chains of integral membrane proteoglycans (Alberts et al., 1994). 

KRISTYN S. MASTERS AND KRISTI S. ANSETH O = sugar residue 

In addition to covalently bound saccharides, the glycocalyx also contains adsorbed glycoproteins and proteoglycans that have been secreted into the extracellular space. 

---

No matter whether at the interface of foreign materials or under in vivo conditions, cell adhesion is always accomplished via interactions between extracellular ligands and receptors on the cell surface. Typical species of cell adhesion receptors are integrins, proteoglycans, and selectins. Accordingly,... 

---