Lehmann F, Tiralongo E, Tiralongo J
Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, PMB 50, Gold Coast Mail Centre, 9726 Australia.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2006 Jun;63(12):1331-54. doi: 10.1007/s00018-005-5589-y.
Sialic acids consist of a family of acidic nine-carbon sugars that are typically located at the terminal positions of a variety of glycoconjugates. Naturally occurring sialic acids show an immense diversity of structure, and this reflects their involvement in a variety of biologically important processes. One such process involves the direct participation of sialic acids in recognition events through specific interactions with lectins, a family of proteins that recognise and bind sugars. This review will present a detailed overview of our current knowledge regarding the occurrence, specificity and function of sialic acid-specific lectins, particularly those that occur in viruses, bacteria and non-vertebrate eukaryotes.
唾液酸由一族酸性九碳糖组成，通常位于各种糖缀合物的末端位置。天然存在的唾液酸显示出巨大的结构多样性，这反映了它们参与了多种生物学重要过程。其中一个过程涉及唾液酸通过与凝集素（一类识别并结合糖的蛋白质家族）的特异性相互作用直接参与识别事件。本综述将详细概述我们目前关于唾液酸特异性凝集素的存在、特异性和功能的知识，特别是那些存在于病毒、细菌和非脊椎动物真核生物中的凝集素。
