Glycobiology: A Practical Approach (Practical Approach Series)

The interest in the carbohydrates of glycoproteins has greatly intensified in the past few years. The recent development of recombinant glycoproteins for therapeutic purposes necessitates the understanding of the structure-function relationship in glycoproteins. Knowledge of the biological roles of glycoproteins has significantly expanded. For instance, it is now known that carbohydrate-protein interaction is one of the most critical events in leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction. Such developments in biology and medicine require an updated methodology that aims at the basic understanding of the structure and biosynthesis of glycoproteins. In this book, the chapters are assembled to provide basic background and methods in order to allow one to analyze the structures of glycoproteins. The subjects covered include isolation, fractionation, and structural characterization of typical glycoproteins, such as those containing N-glycans and O-glycans. The book also covers the phosphatidylinositol anchor, a new type of glycosylation to attach proteins to membranes.