Glycobiology of stress 2007 - printing

Psychological stress is associated with numerous diseases, but molecular mechanisms linking stress to the development of disease are only starting to be understood. Stress alert is conveyed by hormonal signals throughout the body, yet a particular cell response to a hormonal signal is not determined by the signal itself, but by the molecular composition, energy content, and by the physiological role and current status of the target cell. Stress induced changes in glycoconjugate structures and expression of their receptors lectins appear to be an important molecular consequences of stress experience. Though at the moment only little is known about the metabolic steps leading to these changes, there is evidence that activities of glycosyltransferases are also affected by stress. Since there is no doubt that many vital physiological processes and disorders strongly depend on glycoconjugate-receptor interactions, it seems only justified to assume that glycosylation changes contribute to the development of diseases that are associated with stress.