Chemistry and biosynthesis of mucin glycoproteins.

Abstract

Glycoproteins are characterized by the presence of carbohydrate moieties covalently linked to a polypeptide chain. Apparently these complex heteromolecules are present in all biological sources from viruses to higher animals and, as may be expected, fulfill a variety of biological functions. Oligosaccharide moieties of glycoproteins and glycolipids function as the primary antigenic determinants of blood group substances, and may be involved in such diverse biological phenomena as contact Inhibition and cell-cell adhesion, and recognition of specific receptor sites for hormones, viruses and agglutinins. Recognition of the tremendous biological Importance of the complex heterosaccharides contained in glycoproteins and glycolipids has increased rapidly in the past five years. A large and increasing number of pathological conditions are considered to be related to complex carbohydrate metabolism, including glycosphingolipid storage diseases (Brady, 1975), cholera (Holmgren, et al., 1973), neoplasia (Burger and Martin, 1972), diabetes (Spiro and Spiro, 197l), cirrhosis (Marshall, et al., 1974), and hemostasis (Barber and Jamieson, 1971). Certainly, a better understanding of the chemistry and the mechanisms of biosynthesis of these complex molecules should provide information leading to a better interpretation of pathological problems.KeywordsSialic AcidBlood GroupOvarian CystCarbohydrate ChainGallbladder BileThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.