Naoyuki Taniguchi – författare

This handbook, now in a new, second edition, is an essential resource for scientists with an interest in the role of glycosyltransferases and related genes involved in the biosynthesis of glycoproteins, glycolipids, and proteoglycans.

The first edition of the Handbook of Glycosyltransferases and Related Genes, published in 2002, contained descriptions of more than 100 mammalian genes by over 100 scientists who originally isolated and/or cloned these genes. Since then, there has been a growing body of evidence concerning the roles of glycosyltransferases, and additional glycosyltransferases have been identified. Now more than 200 glycosyltransferases have been isolated from mammalian tissue, corresponding to approximately 1–2% of the total human genome. Some have been found to be involved in development and reproduction, signal transduction, cell death, higher nervous functioning, immunity, and other important biological processes. Glycosyltransferases have also been implicated in the development of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancer,chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), neuromuscular diseases, and infectious diseases.

A functional glycomics approach using gene targeting in mice and analytical methods utilizing glycan arrays, lectin arrays, HPLC, and mass spectrometry identified the target glycoprotein(s) on which glycans are attached by the catalytic reaction of glycosyltransferases. Most of the target proteins have been shown to be cell surface membrane proteins such as growth factor receptors and transporters. The three-dimensional structures of some glycosyltransferases have also been characterized, making it possible to classify them into retaining and inverting enzymes. Such structural information is also included in this invaluable new edition.

The aim of the book is to provide a succinct overview of the current status of glycoscience from both basic biological and medical points of view and to propose future directions, in order to facilitate further integrations of glycoscience with other fields in biological and medical studies.

Glycans (carbohydrate oligomers) are the so-called “building blocks” of carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins and lipids and play major roles in many biological phenomena as well as in various pathophysiological processes. However, this area of glycoscience has been neglected from the research community because glycan structures are very complex and functionally diverse and as compared to proteins and nucleic acids simple tools for the amplification, sequencing and auto-synthesis of glycans are not available. Many scientists in other fields of research have now realized that glycosylation, i.e. the addition of glycans to a protein backbone, is the most abundant post translational modification reactions and is an important field of research and sometimes they require a glycobiology and/or glycochemistry approach to be used. It is still difficult, however, for non-expert researchers to use these techniques. This book provides numerous but simple overviews of current topics and protocols for the experiments. The book is aimed at university students and above, including non-experts in the field of glycoscience.

This book presents the latest breakthrough results in glycobiology regarding the roles of glycans in relation to quality control and transport of protein, the immune system, viral infection, stem cells, the neural system, and various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, muscular dystrophy, and schizophrenia. Although glycoscience has long been regarded as a very specialized field with no simple analytical method, the recent explosive progress in research continues to provide limitless evidence that glycan chains are the key component in various biological phenomena. Cell surface glycans, for example, change with developmental stages or environmental conditions and thus represent a “face” of the cell that is utilized for identification of iPS and ES cells and as biomarkers in diagnosis or detection of cancer. This book comprises 17 chapters, each of which poses outstanding “glyco-related” questions enabling non-specialists to have a clearer idea about what the future direction for further investigation of glycans in their own research fields will be. Also including basic information to understand the nature of glycans, this title serves as an excellent “textbook” for researchers in diverse research fields who are not familiar with, but nevertheless interested in, glycan chains or sugar chains.

The aim of this book is to provide experimental protocols covering many aspects of glycobiology, glycotechnology, and chemistry: biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, physiology, and medicine. The protocols are all self-contained descriptions of the equipment and reagents needed, followed by details of the experimental procedure.

In the post-genomic era, glycobiology is coming of age because more than half of proteins are glycosylated and the importance of sugar chains in various fields of life science research cannot be disregarded. Many scientists had not entered this area because glycobiology and glycoscience used to be considered difficult fields. This book, therefore, is presented much like a cookbook which can help scientists in fields other than glycobiology and glycoscience carry out research more easily.

The aim of this book is to provide experimental protocols covering many aspects of glycobiology, glycotechnology, and chemistry: biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, physiology, and medicine. The protocols are all self-contained descriptions of the equipment and reagents needed, followed by details of the experimental procedure.

In the post-genomic era, glycobiology is coming of age because more than half of proteins are glycosylated and the importance of sugar chains in various fields of life science research cannot be disregarded. Many scientists had not entered this area because glycobiology and glycoscience used to be considered difficult fields. This book, therefore, is presented much like a cookbook which can help scientists in fields other than glycobiology and glycoscience carry out research more easily.