Honke Koichi, Taniguchi Naoyuki
Department of Biochemistry, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Med Res Rev. 2002 Nov;22(6):637-54. doi: 10.1002/med.10020.
Structural diversity of the sugar chains attached to proteins and lipids that arises from the variety of combinations of different monosaccharides, different types of linkages, branch formation and secondary modifications, such as sulfation, possesses a large amount of biological information. A number of proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids contain sulfated carbohydrates. Their sulfate groups provide a negative charge and play a role in a specific molecular recognition process. The sulfation of oligosaccharides is catalyzed by the Golgi-associated sulfotransferases. Recent success in molecular cloning of these sulfotransferases has brought a breakthrough in the understanding of biological function of sulfated oligosaccharides in a variety of contexts. Investigations on the relationship of sulfated oligosaccharides to human diseases including hereditary deficiency, cancer, inflammation, and infection may provide hints for curing disastrous diseases.
由不同单糖的多种组合、不同类型的连接方式、分支形成以及硫酸化等二级修饰所产生的与蛋白质和脂质相连的糖链结构多样性，蕴含着大量的生物学信息。许多蛋白聚糖、糖蛋白和糖脂都含有硫酸化碳水化合物。它们的硫酸基团带有负电荷，并在特定的分子识别过程中发挥作用。寡糖的硫酸化由高尔基体相关的硫酸转移酶催化。这些硫酸转移酶的分子克隆最近取得的成功，为理解硫酸化寡糖在多种情况下的生物学功能带来了突破。对硫酸化寡糖与包括遗传性缺陷、癌症、炎症和感染在内的人类疾病之间关系的研究，可能为治愈灾难性疾病提供线索。
