PROTEIN-GLYCAN INTERACTIONS IN THE REGULATION OF INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES

YVETTE VAN KOOYK; GABRIEL RABINOVICH

NATURE IMMUNOLOGY

NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

Lugar: NEW YORK; Año: 2008 vol. 9 p. 593 - 601

1529-2908

The importance of protein glycosylation in the process of migration of immune cells throughout the body has been extensively appreciated. However our awareness of the impact of glycosylation on the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses is a relatively new phenomenon. An increasing number of studies reveal the relevance of glycosylation to pathogen recognition, to the modulation of the innate immune system, and to the control of immune cell homeostasis and inflammation.  Similarly important is the impact of glycan-containing information in the development of autoimmune diseases and cancer. In this review, we provide an overview of these new directions and their impact in the field of glyco-immunology.