Sialic Acid The Viral Cell-Surface Receptor Ligand

4 SIALIC ACID THE VIRAL CELL-SURFACE RECEPTOR LIGAND 

Sialic acids are a family of nine-carbon acidic monosaccharides based on 3-deoxy nonulosonic acid (Fig. 17.4, also see Chapter 5). In 1952, the biochemist Gunnar Blix introduced the term sialic acid from the Greek aaXia (salia) or saliva after isolating this molecule from the salivary gland mucin. Sialic acid is now the generic term for the family that includes derivatives with a C5-amino substituent called neuraminic acid. Neu5Ac (5) is the type of sialic acid found in humans [47], 

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