You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Glycans are complex, multi-unit carbohydrate structures that cover the surfaces of cells and guide cellular interactions. Glycobiology studies the synthesis, structure, function, regulation, and evolution of glycans and glycan-binding molecules. Glycans are synthesized and added as modifications to proteins, lipids, and RNA. Though they are often associated with functions outside of cells (glycoproteins and glycolipids are most often extracellular or secreted), glycans are also active within cells. Glycans are known to have diverse physiological roles ranging from cell adhesion (maintaining tissue structure and integrity) to molecular recognition (marking position during development, or self-identity in immunity and reproduction). Glycans also regulate cellular activity and physiological state. The families of proteins that bind glycans are called lectins. Glycans and lectins are vital in many diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammation, allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disorders.
This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.
This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.
Topic Editor Prof. Aimin Xu receives financial support from Servier Laboratories. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme.