Structural Diversity and Evolution of Sialic Acids

Abstract

Sialic acids modify the outermost termini of glycan chains and show an extremely large structural diversity. While ubiquitous in vertebrates, they show a sparse distribution in other organisms. It is thus difficult to define the origin of sialic acids during evolution. We have carried out identification and comparative biochemistry of the metabolic enzymes of sialic acids to understand their structural diversity in evolution. In the end, we have faced an era of chaotic situations of knowledge, and at the same time might be close to the better understanding of the survival strategies of organisms through the sialic acid research.