Microbial Glycobiology: Structures, Relevance and Applications | Date: 28 April 2011, 06:37
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Microbial Glycobiology: Structures, Relevance and Applications
By Anthony P Moran, Otto Holst, Patrick J Brennan, Mark von Itzstein
* Publisher: Academic Press
* Number Of Pages: 1020
* Publication Date: 2009-09-14
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0123745462
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780123745460
Product Description:
This book presents in an easy-to-read format a summary of the important central aspects of microbial glycobiology, i.e. the study of carbohydrates as related to the biology of microorganisms. Microbial glycobiology represents a multidisciplinary and emerging area with implications for a range of basic and applied research fields, as well as having industrial, medical and biotechnological implications.
Key Features and Benefits
* Individual chapters provided by leading international scientists in the field yield insightful, concise and stimulating reviews.
- Provides researchers with an overview and synthesis of the latest research
* Each chapter begins with a brief 200 word Summary/Abstract detailing the topic and focus of the chapter, as well as the concepts to be addressed.
- Allows researchers to see at a glance what each chapter will cover
* Each chapter includes a Research Focus Box
- Identifies important problems that still need to be solved and areas that require further investigation
Preface
Glycobiology can be said to be sweet biology.
The full appreciation of the role of sugars, glycomolecules
and glycosylated structures and
their biological functions has been a more recent
one compared to that of nucleic acids and proteins,
particularly in the specialization of microbiology
and related fields. Understanding has
grown that monosaccharides represent an alphabet
of biological information similar to amino
acids and nucleic acids, but with a greater,
and potentially unsurpassed, coding capacity.
Though it has been predicted that microorganisms
can synthesize more sugar building
blocks than their eukaryotic counterparts, e.g.
for bacteria it is considered to be six-fold greater,
this extensive coding capacity impacts the biological
functioning of microbial molecules and
also influences the interaction of microbes with
their environment, including host structures.
The concept behind this book is to present,
in an easy-to-read format, reviews of the important
central aspects of microbial glycobiology,
i.e. the study of carbohydrates as related to the
biology of microorganisms. The importance of
substitution of proteins by sugars (glycosylation)
and the role played by glycosylated structures
(glycoproteins, glycopeptides, glycolipids,
lipoglycans, glycoconjugates, etc.) in disease
development, immune recognition, and environmental
processes have become well-established.
Moreover, from the viewpoint of biotechnology
industry, glycobiology, microbial glycobiology
and microbial glycomics are important components.
Microbial, especially bacterial, glycomes
represent an excellent toolbox for glycobiologists
to understand the fundamentals of glycosylation
pathways, to develop new techniques for glycobiology,
and to exploit glycosylation pathways
for development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics.
Despite the relevance of glycobiology
in
medical and environmental microbiology, and
the potential to exploit this knowledge for industrial
and medical processes, this field has only
begun to be fully appreciated. In particular, glycomics
– the applied biology and chemistry of
the structures and functions of carbohydrates –
and microbial glycomics – glycomics as related
to microbial components – have become recognized
as areas of emerging technological
development. For instance, this area has been
highlighted in the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Review as one of ten emerging technologies
that will have a significant influence in
the near future. Furthermore, it has been commented
that the field of microbial glycobiology
could fuel a revolution in biology and industry
and aid biomedical development and drug
discovery.
Indeed, the number of publications in this
field has risen dramatically in recent years,
making it extremely difficult for even the most
diligent reader to stay abreast of progress.
Additionally, in many areas of microbial glycobiology
well-based and extensive reviews are
lacking. Thus, we considered there was a major
need to provide a book reviewing the range of
topics relevant to microbial glycobiology since
no such book has previously been available.
It is our hope that this text distills the most
important cutting-edge findings in the field to
produce a timely and definitive overview, providing
a useful introduction to the subject for
new researchers, as well as an invaluable reference
for experienced ones. Our goal has been
to create a state-of-the-art compendium and
to delineate the knowns and unknowns in the
field.
Since microbial glycobiology represents a
multidisciplinary and emerging area with implications
for a range of basic and applied research
fields, as well as having industrial, medical and
biotechnological implications, care has been
taken in the choice of topics to be covered. This
volume cannot attempt to be completely comprehensive,
but we believe, the central concepts
and areas of intensive investigation have been
covered as have aspects of the glycobiology
of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. The
approach has been to cover and link knowledge
among microbiologists, synthetic and analytical
chemists, biomedical and biopharmaceutical
scientists and biotechnologists. The first section
of the book introduces readers to the nature,
structures and functions of glycomolecules and
glycosylated components of microorganisms
and infectious agents. This includes not only
such components of bacteria but also those from
viruses, fungi and protozoa. In the next section,
the genetics and biosynthesis of these components,
as well as the ability to chemically synthesize
a number of these molecules are reviewed.
The interaction with and recognition by the host
of these molecules is considered subsequently,
as are both the environmental and medical relevance
of microbial glycosylated structures and
glycomolecules. Finally, the biotechnological
and medical applications of microbial glycosylation
and glycosylated molecules is explored.
Collectively, the chapters present basic science
understanding of these molecules through to the
applied science of exploitation and applications
of microbial glycosylation, both industrially and
biomedically.
We have been fortunate to have been joined
by our colleagues, leaders in the field, who
have contributed their ideas, experiences and
insights in a free and open manner to yield what
we believe are insightful, concise and stimulating
chapters in a review format. The editors
sincerely thank the numerous contributors of
these chapters. Furthermore, special thanks is
deserved by Mari Moran and Sharon Ackerman
for their expert secretarial assistance during
manuscript preparation at different stages of this
project. Finally, and by no means least, we thank
Lisa Tickner and Christine Minihane for their
unwavering support in making this text a reality,
Kristi Anderson for her editorial skills, and
Claire Hutchins, Caroline Jones and their team
for their efforts during the production phase.
On behalf of the editors,
Anthony P. Moran
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