Glycobiology: the sheer versatility of sugars

02.06.2006

Glycobiology is a hot new topic, a science that has arrived and blossomed in the last decade.

The latest issue of The Biochemist puts glycobiology in perspective with an authoritative article on its origin by Professor Raymond Dwek and with reports from the cutting edge of this fascinating and vitally important new discipline. Read how it is making significant discoveries in the fields of molecular biology and in the fight against disease.

Also: the discovery of muscle biochemistry, how the structure of immunoglobin was found and what John Prescott is really like.

All this and much more in the latest issue of The Biochemist.

Glycobiology at Oxford
By Raymond Dwek
How the study of oligosaccharides became glycobiology and became firmly established as part of mainstream biochemistry.

Recognizing glycans
By Kurt Drickamer and Maureen E. Taylor
Many well-understood examples of glycan-receptor interactions exist, but are there enough receptors to account for the number of glycans that are being identified?

Protein-carbohydrate interactions
By Nathan Sharon
Proteins that possess the ability to bind carbohydrates specifically and reversibly abound in nature, being present in all living organisms, from viruses to humans.

Glycobiology and medicine
By Pauline M. Rudd and Raymond A. Dwek
The bright future for high throughput glycan analysis and disease markers.

Glycobiology and viruses
By Nicole Zitzmann, Joanne M. O’Leary and Raymond Dwek
Most aspects of glycobiology play important roles in the ’life’ of viruses, for example in the correct folding of their envelope glycoproteins as well as in immune representation and escape.

Raman optical activity
By Laurence D. Barron
A new light on proteins, carbohydrates and glycoproteins.

Q & A:
Interview with S. V. Perry

Flexing their muscles
By Michael P. Walsh
The Biochemical Journal classic papers of S. V. Perry and co-workers.

In the blood
By Michael A. Kerr
Rodney Porter and the structure of immunoglobulin.

The trap hypothesis
By Guy S. Salvesen
The classic Biochemical Journal paper of Alan Barrett and Phyllis Starkey.

48 Q & A:
Q. Is John Prescott a nice guy to work with?
A. Yes; the image of John given by the press and the media is very unfair.

Our exclusive interview with Phyllis Starkey, MP

Obituary
Helen Muir 1920-2005
By Tim Hardingham