glycoprotein

Any of a group of conjugated proteins having a carbohydrate as the nonprotein component.

A compound in which carbohydrate (sugar) is covalently linked to protein. The carbohydrate may be in the form of monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, or polysaccharides, and is sometimes referred to as glycan. The sugar may be linked to sulfate or phosphate groups. In different glycoproteins, 100–200 glycan units may be present. Therefore, the carbohydratecontent of these compounds varies markedly, from 1% (as in the collagens), to 60%(in certain mucins), to >99% (in glycogen). See also Collagen; Glycogen.

Glycoproteins are ubiquitous in nature, although they are relatively rare in bacteria. They occur in cells, in both soluble and membrane-bound forms, as well as in the intercellular matrix and in extracellular fluids, and include numerous biologically active macromolecules. A number of glycoproteins are produced industrially by genetic engineering techniques for use as drugs; among them are erythropoietin, interferons, colony stimulating factors, and blood-clotting factors. See also Genetic engineering.

In most glycoproteins, the carbohydrate is linked to the polypeptide backbone by either N- or O-glycosidic bonds. A different kind of bond is found in glycoproteins that are anchored in cell membranes by a special carbohydrate-containing compound, glycosylphosphatidylinositol, which is attached to the C-terminal amino acid of the protein. A single glycoprotein may contain more than one type of carbohydrate-peptide linkage. N-linked units are typically found in plasma glycoproteins, in ovalbumin, in many enzymes (for example, the ribonucleases), and in immunoglobulins. O-linked units are found in mucins; collagens; and proteoglycans (typical constituents of connective tissues), including chondroitin sulfates, dermatan sulfate, and heparin. See also Albumin; Carbohydrate; Enzyme; Immunoglobulin; Monosaccharide; Oligosaccharide; Polysaccharide; Protein.

Within any organism, all molecules of a particular protein are identical. In contrast, a variety of structurally distinct carbohydrate units are found not only at different attachment sites of a glycoprotein but even at each single attachment site—a phenomenon known as microheterogeneity. For instance, ovalbumin contains one glycosylated amino acid, but over a dozen different oligosaccharides have been identified at that site, even in a preparation isolated from a single egg of a purebred hen.

Proteins conjugated with carbohydrates such as uronic acids, polymerized glucosamine-mannose, etc., including mucins and mucoids; found in the vitreous humour of the eye, cornea, cartilage, and gastric mucosa. See also mucoproteins.

Any of the large group of conjugated proteins in which the nonprotein substance is a carbohydrate. These include the mucins, the mucoids, and the chondroproteins.

Any of a class of conjugated proteins consisting of a compound of protein with a carbohydrate group.

• g. deficiency — an inherited disorder in dogs in which there is defective phagocytic function. Affected dogs have a marked, persistent neutrophilia and are susceptible to infections.
• alpha-2HS g. — important in bone resorption.

Not to be confused with peptidoglycan or proteoglycan.

N-linked protein glycosylation (N-glycosylation of N-glycans) at Asn residues (Asn-x-Ser/Thr motifs) in glycoproteins.^[1]

Glycoproteins are proteins that contain oligosaccharide chains (glycans) covalently attached to their polypeptide side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycosylation. In proteins that have segments extending extracellularly, the extracellular segments are often glycosylated. Glycoproteins are often important integral membrane proteins, where they play a role in cell-cell interactions. Glycoproteins also occur in the cytosol, but their functions and the pathways producing these modifications in this compartment are less well-understood.^[2]

Contents 1 N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation 2 Monosaccharides 3 Examples 4 Hormones 5 Functions 6 Analysis 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation

There are two types of glycosylation:

• In N-glycosylation (see on the right), the addition of sugar chains can happen at the amide nitrogen on the side chain of the asparagine.
• In O-glycosylation, the addition of sugar chains can happen on the hydroxyl oxygen on the side chain of hydroxylysine, hydroxyproline, serine, or threonine.

Monosaccharides

The eight sugars contained in glycoproteins.

Monosaccharides commonly found in eukaryotic glycoproteins include:^[3]

The principal sugars found in human glycoproteins^[4]

Sugar	Type	Abbreviation
β-D-Glucose	Hexose	Glc
β-D-Galactose	Hexose	Gal
β-D-Mannose	Hexose	Man
α-L-Fucose	Deoxyhexose	Fuc
N-Acetylgalactosamine	Aminohexose	GalNAc
N-Acetylglucosamine	Aminohexose	GlcNAc
N-Acetylneuraminic acid	Aminononulosonic acid (Sialic acid)	NeuNAc
Xylose	Pentose	Xyl

The sugar group(s) can assist in protein folding or improve proteins' stability.

Examples

One example of glycoproteins found in the body is mucins, which are secreted in the mucus of the respiratory and digestive tracts. The sugars attached to mucins give them considerable water-holding capacity and also make them resistant to proteolysis by digestive enzymes.

Glycoproteins are important for white blood cell recognition, especially in mammals.^{[citation needed]} Examples of glycoproteins in the immune system are:

• molecules such as antibodies (immunoglobulins), which interact directly with antigens
• molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (or MHC), which are expressed on the surface of cells and interact with T cells as part of the adaptive immune response.

Other examples of glycoproteins include:

• glycoprotein IIb/IIIa, an integrin found on platelets that is required for normal platelet aggregation and adherence to the endothelium.
• components of the zona pellucida, which surrounds the oocyte, and is important for sperm-egg interaction.
• structural glycoproteins, which occur in connective tissue. These help bind together the fibers, cells, and ground substance of connective tissue. They may also help components of the tissue bind to inorganic substances, such as calcium in bone.
• Glycoprotein-41 (gp41) and glycoprotein-120 (gp120) are HIV viral coat proteins.

Soluble glycoproteins often show a high viscosity, for example, in egg white and blood plasma.

Hormones

Hormones that are glycoproteins include:

• Follicle-stimulating hormone
• Luteinizing hormone
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone
• Human chorionic gonadotropin
• Alpha-fetoprotein
• Erythropoietin (EPO)

Functions

Some functions served by glycoproteins^[5]

Function	Glycoproteins
Structural molecule	Collagens
Lubricant and protective agent	Mucins
Transport molecule	Transferrin, ceruloplasmin
Immunologic molecule	Immunoglobins, histocompatibility antigens
Hormone	Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
Enzyme	Various, eg, alkaline phosphatase
Cell attachment-recognition site	Various proteins involved in cell-cell (eg, sperm-oocyte), virus-cell, bacterium-cell, and hormone cell interactions
Antifreeze	Certain plasma proteins of coldwater fish
Interact with specific carbohydrates	Lectins, selectins (cell adhesion lectins), antibodies
Receptor	Various proteins involved in hormone and drug action
Affect folding of certain proteins	Calnexin, calreticulin
Regulation of development	Notch and its analogs, key proteins in development
Hemostasis (and thrombosis)	Specific glycoproteins on the surface membranes of platelets

Analysis

A variety of methods used in detection, purification, and structural analysis of glycoproteins are^[6][7]

Some important methods used to study glycoproteins

Method	Use
Periodic acid-Schiff stain	Detects glycoproteins as pink bands after electrophoretic separation.
Incubation of cultured cells with glycoproteins as radioactive decay bands	Leads to detection of a radioactive sugar after electrophoretic separation.
Treatment with appropriate endo- or exoglycosidase or phospholipases	Resultant shifts in electrophoretic migration help distinguish among proteins with N-glycan, O-glycan, or GPI linkages and also between high mannose and complex N-glycans.
Agarose-lectin column chromatography	To purify glycoproteins or glycopeptides that bind the particular lectin used.
Compositional analysis following acid hydrolysis	Identifies sugars that the glycoprotein contains and their stoichiometry.
Mass spectrometry	Provides information on molecular mass, composition, sequence, and sometimes branching of a glycan chain.
NMR spectroscopy	To identify specific sugars, their sequence, linkages, and the anomeric nature of glycosidic chain.
Dual Polarisation Interferometry	Measures the mechanisms underlying the biomolecular interactions, including reaction rates, affinities and associated conformational changes.
Methylation (linkage) analysis	To determine linkage between sugars.
Amino acid or cDNA sequencing	Determination of amino acid sequence.

References

1. ^ Ruddock & Molinari (2006) Journal of Cell Science 119, 4373-4380
2. ^ Funakoshi Y, Suzuki T (January 2009). "Glycobiology in the cytosol: The bitter side of a sweet world". Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1790 (2): 81–94. doi:10.1016/j.bbagen.2008.09.009. PMID 18952151. 
3. ^ Robert K. Murray, Daryl K. Granner & Victor W. Rodwell: "Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry 27th Ed.", p. 526, McGraw-Hill, 2006
4. ^ https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/img/assets/15880/glycan_classification.pdf
5. ^ Ibid., p. 524
6. ^ Ibid., p. 525
7. ^ Anne Dell, Howard R Morris: "Glycoprotein structure determination by mass spectrometry", Science 291(5512), 2351-2356 (2001), Review

See also

• P-glycoprotein
• Glycopeptide
• Proteoglycan
• Glycocalyx
• Gp120
• Gp41

External links

• Structure of Glycoprotein and Carbohydrate Chain - Home Page for Learning Environmental Chemistry
• Biochemistry 5thE 11.3. Carbohydrates Can Be Attached to Proteins to Form Glycoproteins
• Carbohydrate Chemistry and Glycobiology: A Web Tour SPECIAL WEB SUPPLEMENT Science 23 March 2001 Vol 291, Issue 5512, Pages 2263-2502
• MeSH Glycoproteins

v • d • e Protein, glycoconjugate: glycoproteins Activin and inhibin - ADAM protein - Alpha 1-antichymotrypsin - Apolipoprotein H - CD70 - Asialoglycoprotein - Avidin - B-cell activating factor - 4-1BB ligand - Cholesterylester transfer protein - Clusterin - Colony-stimulating factor - Haemopexin - Lactoferrin - Membrane glycoproteins - Mucoprotein - Myelin protein zero - Osteonectin - Protein C - Protein S - Proteoglycan - Serum amyloid P component - Sialoglycoprotein (CD43, Glycophorin, Glycophorin C) - Thrombopoietin - Thyroglobulin - Thyroxine-binding proteins - Transcortin - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha - Uteroglobin - Vitronectin see also enzymes, glycoproteinoses

v • d • e Metabolism: carbohydrate metabolism - glycoprotein enzymes Anabolism Dolichol kinase Catabolism Neuraminidase - Beta-galactosidase - Hexosaminidase - mannosidase (alpha-Mannosidase, beta-Mannosidase) - Aspartylglucosaminidase - Fucosidase - NAGA Transport SLC17A5 M6P tagging N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase see also disorders, glycoproteins

v • d • e (LSD) Inborn error of carbohydrate metabolism: glycoproteinosis/mucolipidosis (E77, 272.7) Post-translational modification of lysosomal enzymes I-cell disease/II · Pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy/III Glycoprotein degradation Aspartylglucosaminuria · Fucosidosis · mannosidosis (Alpha-mannosidosis, Beta-mannosidosis) - Sialidosis/I Other channelopathy (Mucolipidosis type IV) · solute carrier family (Salla disease) · Galactosialidosis see also enzymes, glycoproteins

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