2009 Volume 21 Issue 119 Pages 163-177
Free oligosaccharides (FOSs) found in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells are produced by the enzymatic degradation of dolichol-linked intermediates of N-linked glycosylation and/or by the action of cytosolic peptide:N-glycanases that are involved in the process of endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) of glycoproteins. FOSs are subsequently trimmed by cytosolic endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and α-mannosidase and then ultimately transferred to the lysosome for degradation into monosaccharides. In this minireview, we describe the formation, catabolism, and possible physiological roles of FOSs and present the results of our study on the structure and function of enzymes associated with the generation of FOSs in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
