Glycoconjugate Research

Book excerpt: Glycoconjugate Research, Volume II contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Glycoconjugates held in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1977. The papers explore the biosynthesis and regulation of glycoconjugates, particularly those of cell membranes, and glycolipid storage diseases. This volume is comprised of 95 chapters divided into three sections. After reviewing the regulatory mechanisms underlying glycoprotein synthesis, it turns to enzymic modifications of sialic acids in the course of glycoconjugate biosynthesis. The following chapters focus on the biosynthesis and characterization of lipid-linked sugars in the outer membrane of liver mitochondria; effect of bacitracin on the biosynthesis of dolichol derivatives in calf pancreas microsomes; secretion of proteoglycans by chondrocytes; and heterogeneity of arterial proteoglycans. The biosynthesis of elastin by chondroblasts in monolayer cultures is also considered, along with the phosphorylation of proteoglycans in human articular cartilage. The final chapter describes a double-antibody radioimmunoassay for soluble and cell-surface blood group Ii antigens. This book will be a useful resource for biochemists.