8 . 2 Glycoproteins : Properties

This chapter focuses on the biological roles of the glycans contained in glycoproteins. Today we know there is no unifYing function for the carbohydrates present in glycoproteins. They rather span the complete spectrum from being obviously unimportant to being crucial for the survival of an organism. In a crude scheme, their biological functions can be classif ed into two groups. On one hand, the carbohydrates can modify intrinsic properties ofa protein by altering its size, charge, solubility, accessibility, structure, or dynamic properties. On the other hand, the glycans themselves may be specif cally recognized by carbohydrate-binding proteins and thus participate in adhesion processes and signal transduction. A selection of some of these processes, that are well characterized, will be highlighted.