Sweet clearance: involvement of cell surface glycans in the recognition of apoptotic cells.

Glycans cover the surfaces of all mammalian cells. Their structural variety provides enormous potential for information storage and transfer. According to the concept of the sugar code, they act as biochemical signals decoded by a large number of lectins which are defined as sugar binding proteins. The importance of glycan-lectin interaction in diverse immune system functions becomes increasingly apparent. Here, we review apoptotic cell clearance and especially focus on modifications of glycans on apoptotic cells.