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Parasite glycoconjugates: towards the exploitation of their structure
Author(s) -
FERGUSON MICHAEL A.J.,
HOMANS STEVEN W.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1988.tb00236.x
Subject(s) - glycoconjugate , biology , parasite hosting , glycan , immunogenicity , glycoprotein , glycosylation , infectivity , protozoa , immunity , protozoan parasite , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , bioinformatics , genetics , virus , world wide web , computer science
Summary The parasitic protozoa express many unusual complex carbohydrates at the cell surface in the form of glycoproteins and glycophospholipids. In several cases, such molecules have been shown to be involved in parasite survival, infectivity and host‐cell recognition. The carbohydrate chains of these glycoconjugates are often highly immunogenic, and can in some cases elicit protective immunity. The immunogenicity of some parasite glycans is a function of their unusual chemical structure as compared with mammalian glycans. This suggests differences in the glycosylation pathways between host and parasite due to their evolutionary distance. This article describes how a combination of biophysical and biochemical techniques can be used to determine the primary and three‐dimensional structures of parasite carbohydrate and how this information might be exploited towards the development of new selective chemotherapeutic agents and synthetic vaccines.