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.

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.

Introduction to Glycobiology reveals the true impact of the sugars on biological systems, explaining their function at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level and their clinical relevance.

This book provides current glycoinformatics methods and protocols used to support the determination of carbohydrate structures in biological samples as well as carbohydrate structure databases, the interaction of carbohydrates with proteins, and theoretical and experimental methods to study their three-dimensional structure and dynamics. Glycoinformatics explores this recently emerged field, which has come into being in order to address the needs of encoding, storing, and analyzing carbohydrate ‘sequences’ and their taxonomy using computers. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters contain the kind of detailed description and key implementation advice to ensure successful results. Authoritative and timely, Glycoinformatics demonstrates the progress that has been achieved in glycoinformatics, which indicates that it is no longer a niche subject covered by only a few scientists but is truly coming of age.

Structural Glycobiology covers the experimental, theoretical, and alternative technologies used in the study of the structural basis for the diverse biological roles of carbohydrates. The book overviews the application of specialized technologies to the study of carbohydrates in biology, reviews relevant and current research in the field, and is illustrated throughout by specific examples of how research investigations have yielded key structural and associated biological data on carbohydrates and glycolipids. In particular, the book focuses on: X-ray crystallography and small-angle scattering, NMR, and cryo-electron microscopy techniques Theoretical (modeling-based) approaches, such as molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, free energy calculations, and carbohydrate docking Alternative techniques for yielding structural information on carbohydrates from complex biological samples Carbohydrates in medicine, specifically in areas that have been directly impacted by our understanding of the structural role of carbohydrates in immune recognition: cancer, organ transplantation, and infection

A new focus on glycoscience, a field that explores the structures and functions of sugars, promises great advances in areas as diverse as medicine, energy generation, and materials science, this report finds. Glycans-also known as carbohydrates, saccharides, or simply as sugars-play central roles in many biological processes and have properties useful in an array of applications. However, glycans have received little attention from the research community due to a lack of tools to probe their often complex structures and properties. Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap for the Future presents a roadmap for transforming glycoscience from a field dominated by specialists to a widely studied and integrated discipline, which could lead to a more complete understanding of glycans and help solve key challenges in diverse fields.

Cell-surface carbohydrates play critical roles in cell-cell interactions. This well-written book brings together leading researchers to detail major recent advances regarding our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying such processes. Emphasis is given to cell type, specific carbohydrate expression, and the carbohydrates and proteins involved in cell recognition. Topics include the molecular structure of animal lectins, carbohydrate recognition in cell-cell interaction, chemical synthesis of oligosaccharides, conformational studies on oligosaccharides, and cell-surface carbohydrates, among others. Also included is a full discussion of key experimental approaches such as chemical synthesis and the three-dimensional structural analysis of carbohydrates. Providing both an up-to-date description of the subject and a forecast of likely future developments, Molecular Glycobiology is a much-needed synopsis of an exciting and rapidly expanding field. It will be welcomed by students and researchers in molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and glycobiology.