Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.
Although glycoproteins and proteoglycans have been a subject of re search for many years, it is only during the last five or so years that they have aroused the interest of a very broad cross section of investigators in the biological sciences. The reason for this expanded interest in these molecules is simple: not only are glycoproteins and proteoglycans ubiq uitous, but many are molecules with well-defined and important biological functions. The list of molecules that fall into this category grows daily; interferon, immunoglobulins, certain hormones, many cell surface recep tors, and viral coat proteins are but a few examples. Thus, investigators with interests as diverse as viral replication. cell-cell interactions. poly isoprenoid synthesis, secretory processes, hormone responses, embryonic development, and immunology have become concerned with glycopro teins and proteoglycans. The objective of this book is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the biochemistry of these molecules. Coverage is by no means encyclopedic; rather the thrust is to emphasize the recent ad vances. The first chapter deals primarily with structural work on the oligosaccharide chains of glycoproteins, but it will be apparent in it and in the succeeding two chapters on biosynthesis that not only do structural studies aid biosynthetic investigations, but that studies on biosynthesis often playa major role in elucidation of structure.
This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the structure, biology, and molecular interactions of proteoglycans, consolidating into a single source research using molecular, cellular, and animal systems. Of particular note is an in-depth look at the role of heparan sulfate in modulating growth factors and morphogens.
"Yet another cell and molecular biology book? At the very least, you would think that if I was going to write a textbook, I should write one in an area that really needs one instead of a subject that already has multiple excellent and definitive books. So, why write this book, then? First, it's a course that I have enjoyed teaching for many years, so I am very familiar with what a student really needs to take away from this class within the time constraints of a semester. Second, because it is a course that many students take, there is a greater opportunity to make an impact on more students' pocketbooks than if I were to start off writing a book for a highly specialized upper- level course. And finally, it was fun to research and write, and can be revised easily for inclusion as part of our next textbook, High School Biology."--Open Textbook Library.
Knowledge of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential to understand cellular differentiation, tissue development, and tissue remodeling. This volume of the series “Biology of Extracellular Matrix” provides a timely overview of the structure, regulation, and function of the major macromolecules that make up the extracellular matrix. It covers topics such as collagen types and assembly of collagen-containing suprastructures, basement membrane, fibronectin and other cell-adhesive glycoproteins, proteoglycans, microfibrils, elastin, fibulins and matricellular proteins, such as thrombospondin. It also explores the concept that ECM components together with their cell surface receptors can be viewed as intricate nano-devices that allow cells to physically organize their 3-D-environment. Further, the role of the ECM in human disease and pathogenesis is discussed as well as the use of model organisms in elucidating ECM function.
Proteoglycans are some of the most elaborate macromolecules of mammalian and lower organisms. The covalent attachment of at least five types of glycosami- glycan side chains to more than forty individual protein cores makes these molecules quite complex and endows them with a multitude of biological functions. Proteoglycan Protocols offers a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of prepa- tive and analytical methods for the in-depth analysis of proteoglycans. Featuring st- by-step detailed protocols, this book will enable both novice and experienced researchers to isolate intact proteoglycans from tissues and cultured cells, to establish the composition of their carbohydrate moieties, to generate strategies for prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression, to utilize methods for the suppression of specific proteoglycan gene expression and for the detection of mutant cells and degradation products, and to study specific interactions between proteoglycans and extracellular matrix proteins as well as growth factors and their receptors. The readers will find concise, yet comprehensive techniques carefully drafted by leading experts in the field. Each chapter commences with a general Introduction, followed by a detailed Materials section, and an easy-to-follow Methods section. An asset of each chapter is the extensive notation that includes troubleshooting tips and practical considerations that are often lacking in formal methodology papers. The reader will find this section most valuable because it is clearly provided by experienced scientists who have first-hand knowledge of the techniques they outline. In addition, most of the chapters are well illustrated with examples of typical data generated with each method.
In the ten-year interval since the first edition of this volume went to press, our knowledge of extracellular matrix (ECM) function and structure has enor mously increased. Extracellular matrix and cell-matrix interaction are now routine topics in the meetings and annual reviews sponsored by cell biology societies. Research in molecular biology has so advanced the number of known matrix molecules and the topic of gene structure and regulation that we won dered how best to incorporate the new material. For example, we deliberated over the inclusion of chapters on molecular genetics. We decided that with judicious editing we could present the recent findings in molecular biology within the same cell biology framework that was used for the first edition, using three broad headings: what is extracellular matrix, how is it made, and what does it do for cells? Maintaining control over the review of literature on the subject of ECM was not always an easy task, but we felt it was essential to production of a highly readable volume, one compact enough to serve the the student as an introduction and the investigator as a quick update on graduate the important recent discoveries. The first edition of this volume enjoyed con hope the reader finds this edition equally useful. siderable success; we D. Hay Elizabeth vii Contents Introductory Remarks 1 Elizabeth D. Hay PART I. WHAT IS EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX? Chapter 1 Collagen T. F. Linsenmayer 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2. The Collagen Molecule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2. 1. Triple-Helical Domain(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Presents a comprehensive review of current proteoglycan research, which is providing fresh insights into many major chronic diseases. The proteoglycans are a family of macromolecules which contain one or more glycosaminoglycan chains covalently bound to a core protein. Proteoglycans are a major component of the extracellular matrix of connective tissues and help to determine its volume, resiliency, and organization. They are an important medium through which nutrients, hormones, and other solutes are transported to cells, and they play a significant role in cell-cell interactions. Disturbances in proteoglycans occur in rheumatic and connective tissue disorders, degenerative bone disease, vascular disease, renal disease, and malignant disorders.