1994 Volume 6 Issue 32 Pages 447-452
Recently several authors have reported that T lymphocyte activation induces important changes in glycosylation of membrane glycoproteins. These changes found in both N- and O-linked oligosaccharides affect mainly β1-6-branched lactosamine antennae which are dramatically increased. Unlike other linkage for lactosamine antennae, the β1-6 linkage allows this antenna to fold back toward the protein backbone where it could affect protein conformation and activity. This review summmarizes our current understanding of the glycosylation changes induced by human T lymphocyte activation and discusses their putative functions in lymphocyte physiology and immune response.