Probing the Antigenic Diversity of Sugar Chains

摘要

Sugar chains of living organisms are structurally diverse and rich in biological information. The cellular functions of a specific sugar chain depend on its own structural characteristics, as well as on its interaction with other biological molecules that are able to recognize its structure. To facilitate investigations of carbohydrate-mediated molecular recognition, we have established a carbohydrate-based microarray technology. This biochip platform allows a single protein, such as an antibody, a lectin, or other cellular protein, to interact with thousands of carbohydrate molecules of distinct structures in a single assay and thus allows us to study the specificity and cross-reactivity of carbohydrate-protein interactions in a way that was previously impossible. A promising medical application is the detection and characterization of the anti-carbohydrate antibodies that are elicited by a microbial infection or are associated with human diseases with abnormal expression of complex carbohydrates. Such technology is also a powerful means of studying the relationship between structural characteristics of carbohydrates and their antigenic properties. This article discusses the presence of different categories of carbohydrate-based antigenic determinants and the need for microarray technologies to preserve sugar chain conformations on chip.