TY - JOUR
T1 - To sialylate, or not to sialylate
T2 - That is the question
AU - Vimr, Eric
AU - Lichtensteiger, Carol
N1 - Funding Information:
Research from our laboratories was sponsored by the NIH (E.V.) and Illinois Dept of Agriculture (C.L.). We thank Kerry Helms for expert assistance with graphics. This article is dedicated to Professor Roland Schauer in honor of his elevation to Emeritus status and illustrious career to date as the first sialobiologist.
PY - 2002/6/1
Y1 - 2002/6/1
N2 - Most oropharyngeal pathogens express sialic acid units on their surfaces, mimicking the sialyl-rich mucin layer coating epithelial cells and the glycoconjugates present on virtually all host cell surfaces and serum proteins. Unlike the host's cells, which synthesize sialic acids endogenously, several microbial pathogens use truncated sialylation pathways. How microorganisms regulate sialic acid metabolism to ensure an adequate supply of free sugar for surface remodeling is a new area of research interest to basic scientists and those focused on the clinical outcome of the host-pathogen interaction.
AB - Most oropharyngeal pathogens express sialic acid units on their surfaces, mimicking the sialyl-rich mucin layer coating epithelial cells and the glycoconjugates present on virtually all host cell surfaces and serum proteins. Unlike the host's cells, which synthesize sialic acids endogenously, several microbial pathogens use truncated sialylation pathways. How microorganisms regulate sialic acid metabolism to ensure an adequate supply of free sugar for surface remodeling is a new area of research interest to basic scientists and those focused on the clinical outcome of the host-pathogen interaction.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0966-842X(02)02361-2
DO - 10.1016/S0966-842X(02)02361-2
M3 - Review article
C2 - 12088651
AN - SCOPUS:0036603821
SN - 0966-842X
VL - 10
SP - 254
EP - 257
JO - Trends in Microbiology
JF - Trends in Microbiology
IS - 6
ER -