Premium
Characterizing the glycome of the mammalian immune system
Author(s) -
Haslam Stuart M,
Julien Sylvain,
Burchell Joy M,
Monk Clare R,
Ceroni Alessio,
Garden Oliver A,
Dell Anne
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.2008.54
Subject(s) - glycomics , glycome , glycocalyx , immune system , glycan , biology , glycobiology , epitope , glycoprotein , immune recognition , glycolipid , cell , computational biology , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , biochemistry
The outermost layer of all immune cells, the glycocalyx, is composed of a complex mixture of glycoproteins, glycolipids and lectins, which specifically recognize particular glycan epitopes. As the glycocalyx is the cell's primary interface with the external environment many biologically significant events can be attributed to glycan recognition. For this reason the rapidly expanding glycomics field is being increasingly recognized as an important component in our quest to better understand the functioning of the immune system. In this review, we highlight the current status of immune cell glycomics, with particular attention being paid to T‐ and B‐lymphocytes and dendritic cells. We also describe the strategies and methodologies used to define immune cell glycomes.