At the surface of many cells is a compendium of glycoconjugates that form an interface between the cell and its surroundings; the glycocalyx. The glycocalyx serves several functions that have captivated the interest of many groups. Given its privileged residence, this meshwork of sugar-rich biomolecules is poised to transmit signals across the cellular membrane, facilitating communication with the extracellular matrix and mediating important signalling cascades. As a product of the glycan biosynthetic machinery, the glycocalyx can serve as a partial mirror that reports on the cell's glycosylation status. The glycocalyx can also serve as an information-rich barrier, withholding the entry of pathogens into the underlying plasma membrane through glycan-rich molecular messages. In this review, we provide an overview of the different approaches devised to engineer glycans at the cell surface, highlighting considerations of each, as well as illuminating the grand challenges that face the next era of ‘glyco-engineers’. While we have learned much from these techniques, it is evident that much is left to be unearthed.
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In the brain, cocaine exposure results in mitochondrial DNA damage, depletion of ATP and increased oxidative stress, coupled with increased mitochondrial fission. Therapies preventing such bioenergetic impairment may hold promise in mitigating cocaine pathology and addiction. You can read more about this in the review by Thornton and colleagues (pp. 749–764) in this issue. Image provided by Claire Thornton.
Review Article|
February 18 2021
Glycoengineering: scratching the surface
Meg Critcher
;
Meg Critcher
1Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, 120 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, U.S.A.
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Timothy O'Leary
;
Timothy O'Leary
1Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, 120 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, U.S.A.
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Mia L. Huang
1Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, 120 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, U.S.A.
2Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, 120 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458 U.S.A.
Correspondence: Mia L. Huang (miahuang@scripps.edu)
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 02 2020
Revision Received:
December 22 2020
Accepted:
January 19 2021
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society
2021
Biochem J (2021) 478 (4): 703–719.
Article history
Received:
November 02 2020
Revision Received:
December 22 2020
Accepted:
January 19 2021
Citation
Meg Critcher, Timothy O'Leary, Mia L. Huang; Glycoengineering: scratching the surface. Biochem J 26 February 2021; 478 (4): 703–719. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20200612
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