Abstract
Sialic acids are a subset of nonulosonic acids, which are ninecarbon α-keto aldonic acids. Natural existing sialic acid-containing structures are presented in different sialic acid forms, various sialyl linkages, and on diverse underlying glycans. They play important roles in biological, pathological, and immunological processes. Sialobiology has been a challenging and yet attractive research area. Recent advances in chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis, as well as large-scale E. coli cell-based production, have provided a large library of sialoside standards and derivatives in amounts sufficient for structure-activity relationship studies. Sialoglycan microarrays provide an efficient platform for quick identification of preferred ligands for sialic acid-binding proteins. Future research on sialic acid will continue to be at the interface of chemistry and biology. Research efforts not only will lead to a better understanding of the biological and pathological importance of sialic acids and their diversity but also could lead to the development of therapeutics.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 163-176 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | ACS Chemical Biology |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 19 2010 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Medicine