Microbial Glycobiology

This book presents in an easy-to-read format a summary of the important central aspects of microbial glycobiology, i.e. the study of carbohydrates as related to the biology of microorganisms. Microbial glycobiology represents a multidisciplinary and emerging area with implications for a range of basic and applied research fields, as well as having industrial, medical and biotechnological implications. Individual chapters provided by leading international scientists in the field yield insightful, concise and stimulating reviews Provides researchers with an overview and synthesis of the latest research Each chapter begins with a brief 200 word Summary/Abstract detailing the topic and focus of the chapter, as well as the concepts to be addressed Allows researchers to see at a glance what each chapter will cover Each chapter includes a Research Focus Box Identifies important problems that still need to be solved and areas that require further investigation

Marine glycobiology is an emerging and exciting area in the field of science and medicine. Glycobiology, the study of the structure and function of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing molecules, is fundamental to all biological systems and represents a developing field of science that has made huge advances in the last half-century. This book revolutionizes the concept of marine glycobiology, focusing on the latest principles and applications of marine glycobiology and their relationships.

Biofilms represent the natural living style of microbial communities and play a pivotal role in biogeochemical cycles and natural attenuation. Biofilms can be engineered for biodegradation and biotransformation of organic and inorganic contaminants, for both in situ bioremediation and ex situ treatment in bioreactors. This book focuses on microbial biofilms and their potential technological applications for sustainable development. It covers recent advances in biofilm technologies for contaminant remediation coupled to recovery of resources and serves as a complete reference on the science and technology behind biofilm mediated bioremediation and wastewater treatment.

Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.

Emerging from the protective environment of the uterus, the newborn is exposed to a myriad of microbes, and quickly establishes a complex microbiome that shapes the infant’s biology in ways that are only now beginning to come to light. Among these exposures are a number of potential pathogens. The host responses to these pathogens in the neonatal period are unique, reflecting a developing immune system even with delivery at term. Preterm infants are delivered at a time when host defense mechanisms are even less developed and therefore face additional risk. As such, the organisms that cause disease in this period are different from the pathogens that are common in other age groups, or the disease they cause manifests in more severe fashion. Developmental alterations in both innate and adaptive immune responses in neonates have been documented among many cell types and pathways over the last several decades. Contemporary insights into the human immune system and methodologies that allow an “omics” approach to these questions have continued to provide new information regarding the mechanisms that underlie the human neonate as an “immunocompromised host.” This Research Topic highlights studies related to this unique host-pathogen interface. Contributions include those related to the innate or adaptive immune system of neonates, their response to microbial colonization or infection, and/or the pathogenesis of microbes causing disease in neonates.

This book discusses glycobiology and various forms of human diseases. Topics covered include immunoglobulins, inflammation and glycosylation, the role and therapeutic significance of natural anti-glycan antibodies in malignancies and in normal and aberrant pregnancy, identifying urinary glycans as a possible method for the diagnosis of lysosomal storage diseases, glycobiology of human milk (biological roles and diseases) and pectins as biological modulators of human physiological reactions. The book includes analysis of comprehensive data and some productive conclusions and perspectives.

The protocols in this volume contain specific methods for the analysis of the structures or functions of glycoconjugates, as well as of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases involved in the biosynthesis of glycans. The methods described for a specific system can usually be modified for investigations of similar biomolecules and tissues or cell types.

This book is the first to be dedicated to the bioinformatics of carbohydrates and glycoproteins. It provides an introduction to this emerging field of science both for the experimentalist working in glycobiology and glycomics, and also for the computer scientist looking for background information for the development of highly sophisticated algorithmic approaches. The book provides an overview of the state-of-the-art in the field, with reviews on databases, and the tools in use for analysis, interpretation, and prediction of the structures of complex carbohydrates, and demonstrates the value of bioinformatics for glycobiology. The availability of comprehensive databases and corresponding bioinformatics tools, to access and analyse the large amounts of experimental data relating to the structure of carbohydrates, will be a prerequisite for the success of the large-scale glycomics projects that aim to decipher new, so far unknown, biological functions of glycans. Efficient bioinformatics descriptions and tools can considerably enhance the efficiency of glycomics research, in terms of data quality, analysis and experimental costs. For a complete understanding of the molecular processes in which carbohydrates are involved, such as protein–carbohydrate interactions and the impact of glycosylation on protein function, knowledge of the 3D structure of the carbohydrate, the protein–carbohydrate complex, or the glycoprotein is often indispensable. This book provides a thorough introduction into methods used for conformational analysis of carbohydrates. Key features: Describes bioinformatic approaches to handle carbohydrate-active enzymes and glycosylation. Provides an overview on bioinformatics tools that facilitate analysis of carbohydrate structures. Gives introduction into molecular modelling of carbohydrate 3D structure and carbohydrates contained in the Protein Databank. Assumes only a basic knowledge of biology and bioinformatics.

Mumtaz Virji: Ins and Outs of Microbial Adhesion.- Martina Lahmann: Architectures of multivalent glycomimetics for probing carbohydrate-lectin interactions.- Stefan D. Knight and Julie Bouckaert: Structure, Function, and Assembly of Type 1 Fimbriae.- Knut Ohlsen, Tobias A. Oelschlaeger, Jörg Hacker, A. Salam Khan: Carbohydrate receptors of bacterial adhesins: Implications and reflections.- Susann Teneberg: The multiple carbohydrate binding specificities of Helicobacter pylori.- Andrea Kristina Horst and Christoph Wagener: Bitter sweetness of complexity.- Dietrich Mack, Angharad P. Davies, Llinos G. Harris, Johannes K. M. Knobloch and Holger Rohde: Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms: functional molecules, relation to virulence, and vaccine potential.-

St. Georges Hospital and Medical School, London, UK. Summarizes some of the major recent developments in glycobiology as a result from the 6th Glycobiology and Medicine meeting. For researchers. DNLM: Glycosylation--Congresses.

This work covers methodologies for plant and animal glycoconjugate analysis. It details mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, glycolipids and new physical methods, o-glycosylation characterization, chromophore and fluorophore labelling of oligosaccharides, separations, exoglycosidases and mapping, and plant glycobiology.

This glycobiology book is truly unique. Produced to commemorate the 80th birthday of Nathan Sharon, Glycobiology is an essential reference tool for anyone working in the field. Most research review volumes are narrowly focused. This book is different. It is a state-of-the-art fully comprehensive review volume covering a deliberately wide spectrum of work in this important field. With 28 chapters, covering over 350 pages, this title describes the latest research findings - from chemistry to biology and from pure science to industrial and medical applications. The book is written by world-class researchers and brings the reader fully up-to-date with the latest advances and forward thinking. All the major areas of glycobiology are covered including the synthesis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates, their structural and functional analysis, carbohydrate binding proteins, carbohydrate modifying enzymes, and the applications of glycobiology research in medicine and industry. All active researchers in the glycosciences will value access to this important research compendium whether it be in the local library or in the lab.

Conteúdo: Structure and control.

Hot Topics in Infection and Immunity IX

Broad-ranging and cross-disciplinary overview of the evolution and mechanisms of beneficial host-pathogen interactions.

Focusing on the synthesis and structure of protein and lipid-bound oligosaccharides, Glycobiology describes the mechanisms that cause these substances and carbohydrate-binding proteins to influence biological recognition and communication. Comprehensive chapters offer new and informative data on topics such as: the synthesis, structural characterization and biological functions of glycophosphoinositol lipids; the role of lectin-like molecules and carbohydrate receptors in cell-cell recognition events; the function of protein- and lipid-glycosylation in such diseases; and the concerns of pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies within this field.