Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is a glycolipid that binds to the C-terminus of >150 proteins and anchors them to the cell surface. Thirty gene products are involved in its biosynthesis, and genetic mutations in these genes cause inherited GPI deficiency with neurological symptoms such as intellectual disability, delayed motor development, and epilepsy. Furthermore, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is an acquired GPI deficiency caused by mutations in the PIGA gene of hematopoietic stem cells. Its main symptom is hemolytic attacks due to complement activation. Although rare, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria caused by mutations in PIGT, PIGB, and PIGV has recently been discovered and exhibits characteristic symptoms. Here, we describe recent findings on the biosynthesis of GPI anchors and their deficiency.

UDP-sugars and GDP-sugars serve as substrates in the synthesis of numerous polysaccharides. Conversions of monosaccharides to other monosaccharides often occur by way of nucleotide sugars. Certain toxic monosaccharides such as D-galactose are metabolized into non-toxic sugars via nucleotide sugars. The sugar species largely determines whether a sugar is metabolized as a UDP- or GDP-sugar and these two types of nucleotide sugars follow metabolic pathways, which are, as it turns out, basically independent. In this paper, we outline the metabolic pathways of nucleotide sugars in plants and discuss the physiological importance and mechanisms for the separate metabolic pathways.

Sugars, representing a biomolecule with nucleic acids and proteins, are relevant in a great number of biological processes. Since the interactions involving carbohydrates, e.g., carbohydrate-receptor interactions, are considerably weaker compared to interactions between other biomolecules (K_D=µM–mM), multivalent carbohydrate–protein interaction creates a high-avidity interaction with clustered binding sites. This carbohydrate cluster effect has been mimicked in research to develop supramolecular material via the combination of self-assembling lipids or peptides with sugars or development of sugar-based supramolecules. This paper mainly introduces an amino sugar-based supramolecular hydrogel with reduction responsiveness and summarizes recent research in the supramolecular glycomaterials.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is a glycolipid that binds to the C-terminus of >150 proteins and anchors them to the cell surface. Thirty gene products are involved in its biosynthesis, and genetic mutations in these genes cause inherited GPI deficiency with neurological symptoms such as intellectual disability, delayed motor development, and epilepsy. Furthermore, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is an acquired GPI deficiency caused by mutations in the PIGA gene of hematopoietic stem cells. Its main symptom is hemolytic attacks due to complement activation. Although rare, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria caused by mutations in PIGT, PIGB, and PIGV has recently been discovered and exhibits characteristic symptoms. Here, we describe recent findings on the biosynthesis of GPI anchors and their deficiency.

UDP-sugars and GDP-sugars serve as substrates in the synthesis of numerous polysaccharides. Conversions of monosaccharides to other monosaccharides often occur by way of nucleotide sugars. Certain toxic monosaccharides such as D-galactose are metabolized into non-toxic sugars via nucleotide sugars. The sugar species largely determines whether a sugar is metabolized as a UDP- or GDP-sugar and these two types of nucleotide sugars follow metabolic pathways, which are, as it turns out, basically independent. In this paper, we outline the metabolic pathways of nucleotide sugars in plants and discuss the physiological importance and mechanisms for the separate metabolic pathways.

Sugars, representing a biomolecule with nucleic acids and proteins, are relevant in a great number of biological processes. Since the interactions involving carbohydrates, e.g., carbohydrate-receptor interactions, are considerably weaker compared to interactions between other biomolecules (K_D=µM–mM), multivalent carbohydrate–protein interaction creates a high-avidity interaction with clustered binding sites. This carbohydrate cluster effect has been mimicked in research to develop supramolecular material via the combination of self-assembling lipids or peptides with sugars or development of sugar-based supramolecules. This paper mainly introduces an amino sugar-based supramolecular hydrogel with reduction responsiveness and summarizes recent research in the supramolecular glycomaterials.