Glycobiology & Glycochemistry

Glyco-Biomarkers

Glycans can mediate a wide variety of biological roles by virtue of their mass, shape, charge, or other physical properties. However, many of their more specific biological roles are mediated via recognition by GBPs. Nature appears to have taken full advantage of the vast diversity of glycans expressed in organisms by evolving protein modules to recognize discrete glycans that mediate specific physiological or pathological processes. The natural ligands for most lectins are typically complex glycoconjugates that carry clustered arrays of the cognate carbohydrate or unique glycan structures, thus cooperating with clustered lectin-binding sites to generate high-avidity binding, which is further enhanced by mass transport effects (high local concentrations of ligands).