There is a startling amount of research activity concerning the role of sialic acid in mammalian cells and in the mammalian organism. One may discern in the early literature premonitions of compounds containing sialic acid, traceable by descriptions of color reactions, as far back as the turn of the century. Work spanning the 1930s to the 1950s culmi nated in the crystallization of sialic acid from a wide variety of biological materials. The ubiquitous nature of the sialic acids, and the biological importance of the substances in which they occur, then became generally manifest. Since then, the chemistry and metabolism of sialic acid and its occurrence, notably, but not exclusively, in the outer cell surfaces of mammalian cells and in key extracellular glycoproteins, have received great attention. The involvement of sialic acid-containing substances in tumorigenicity and in numerous metabolic and infectious pathological conditions, and in the growth, development, and integrity of mammalian cells has achieved widespread recognition. Intensive inquiry into the biological roles of sialic acid continues in a large number of research laboratories throughout the world. This book is intended to represent for the uninitiated as well as for the expert a wide and detailed overview of the current state of knowledge. Major efforts and pioneering break throughs have emerged from several laboratories, located on both sides of the Atlantic, of which we make no special individual mention here since they will to some extent appear in the pages that follow.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Illustrationen
6 s/w Abbildungen
XVIII, 376 p. 6 illus.
Dateigröße
ISBN-13
978-1-4684-2226-9 (9781468422269)
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4684-2226-9
Schweitzer Klassifikation
1 Chemistry and Analysis of Sialic Acid.- I. Historical Background.- II. Natural Occurrence of Sialic Acids.- III. Isolation and Purification.- IV. Chemistry of Sialic Acids.- V. Synthesis.- VI. Quantification of Sialic Acids.- VII. References.- 2 The Natural Occurrence of Sialic Acids.- I. Introduction.- II. The Natural Occurrence of Sialic Acids.- III. Evolution of Sialic Acids.- IV. References.- 3 The Distribution of Sialic Acids Within the Eukaryotic Cell.- I. Introduction.- II. Extracellular Sialic Acids.- III. Distribution within the Cell.- IV. Conclusions.- V. References.- 4 Anabolic Reactions Involving Sialic Acids.- I. Introduction: Perspective and Directions.- II. Biosynthesis of the Sialic Acids.- III. Biosynthesis of Polymers, Glycoproteins, Mucins, and Glycolipids Containing Sialic Acid.- IV. Thoughts on Physiological Function of Sialic Acids.- V. References.- 5 Catabolism of Sialyl Compounds in Nature.- I. Introduction.- II. Pathways of Degradation.- III. Cellular Mechanism of Degradation.- IV. Functional Implications.- V. Concluding Remarks.- VI. References.- 6 Disorders of Ganglioside Catabolism.- I. Introduction-The Catabolism of Gangliosides.- II. Tay-Sachs Disease (Type I GM2-Gangliosidosis).- III. Type II GM2-Gangliosidosis.- IV. Other Variant Forms.- V. Generalized Gangliosidosis (GM1-Gangliosidosis).- VI. Potentially Related Disorders.- VII. References.- 7 The Biological Role of Sialic Acid at the Surface of the Cell.- I. Introduction.- II. Occurrence, Forms, and Amounts of Sialic Acid Residues at the Surface of the Cell.- III. The Masking of Cell-Surface Antigens by Sialic Acid.- IV. Sialic Acid as a Receptor at Cell Surfaces.- V. Sialic Acid in Normal and Malignant or Transformed Cells.- VI. Role of Sialic Acid in Cell-to-Cell Interaction.-VII. Physiological Role of Sialic Acid Residues.- VIII. Conclusion.- IX. References.- 8 The Altered Metabolism of Sialic-Acid-Containing Compounds in Tumorigenic-Virus-Transformed Cells.- I. Introduction.- II. Experimental Procedures.- III. Ganglioside Metabolism in Cultured Mouse Cell Lines.- VI. Sialic Acid and Glycoproteins in Transformed Cells.- V. Relationship between Viral Transformation and Altered Ganglioside Metabolism.- VI. Discussion.- VII. Concluding Remarks.- VIII. References.- 9 Circulating Sialyl Compounds.- I. Introduction.- II. Normal Plasma Constituents.- III. Circulating Sialoglycoproteins in Abnormal Physiological States.- IV. Role of Sialic Acid in Circulating Sialoglycocompounds.- V. References.- 10 Sialidases.- I. Background and Nomenclature.- II. Bacterial Sialidases.- III. Viral Sialidases.- IV. Experimental Use of Microbial Sialidases.- V. Mammalian Sialidases.- VI. References.
