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Glycoproteins are proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains (glycans) covalently attached to polypeptide side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycosylation. Secreted extracellular proteins are often glycosylated. In proteins that have segments extending extracellularly, the extracellular segments are also glycosylated. Glycoproteins are often important integral membrane proteins, where they play a role in cell–cell interactions. Glycoproteins are also formed in the cytosol, but their functions and the pathways producing these modifications in this compartment are less understood.[2]
There are several types of glycosylation, although the first two are the most common.
Monosaccharides commonly found in eukaryotic glycoproteins include:[3]:526
The sugar group(s) can assist in protein folding or improve proteins' stability.
One example of glycoproteins found in the body is mucins, which are secreted in the mucus of the respiratory and digestive tracts. The sugars when attached to mucins give them considerable water-holding capacity and also make them resistant to proteolysis by digestive enzymes.
Glycoproteins are important for white blood cell recognition, especially in mammals. Examples of glycoproteins in the immune system are:
Other examples of glycoproteins include:
Soluble glycoproteins often show a high viscosity, for example, in egg white and blood plasma.
Variable surface glycoproteins allow the sleeping sickness Trypanosoma parasite to escape the immune response of the host.
Hormones that are glycoproteins include:
A variety of methods used in detection, purification, and structural analysis of glycoproteins are[3]:525[7][6]
Gene, Calcium, Sodium, Muc1, Saliva
Metabolism, X-ray crystallography, Protein folding, Biochemistry, Glycolysis
Elisa, Protein, Immune system, Gene, Cancer
Cancer, Inborn errors of carbohydrate metabolism, Glucose, Metabolism, Gene
Protein, Glucose, Glycolysis, Citric acid cycle, Ribose
Pfam, Influenza, Glycoprotein, Hemagglutinin, Oseltamivir
Genomics, Proteomics, Protein, Systems biology, Glycobiology
Cancer, Metastasis, Breast cancer, Brain, Integrin
Bacteria, Immune system, Cancer, Glycoprotein, Cell membrane
Gene, Urine, Glycoprotein, Glycophosphatidylinositol, Kidney