Human glycosylation disorders

Issue title: The Promise of Glycomics for Discovery of New Biomarkers

Guest editors: Pamela A. Marino

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Krasnewich, Donna

Affiliations: National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Building 45 Room 2As25h, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Tel.: +1 301 594 0943; Fax: +1 301 480 2228; E-mail: dkras@nigms.nih.gov. | Biochemistry and Bio-related Chemistry Branch Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry Division NIGMS, NIH

Abstract: Over the past 20 years, clinical disorders of glycosylation have expanded to include over 50 recognized defects in the network of glycobiologic pathways. In parallel, more cases have been recognized by astute clinicians increasing both the number of known affected individuals as well as the breadth of clinical features attributed to these disorders. The descriptions of affected individuals may include a functional adult with cognitive impairments, a developmentally normal child with significant gastrointestinal symptoms, a severely ill infant or a fetus with hydrops fetalis. These clinical cases have led to the recognition of gene mutations affecting different enzymes and transporters active in the interconnected synthetic pathways of the myriad of oligosaccharides with essential roles in human development and biology.

Keywords: Glycosylation, glycobiology, congenital disorders of glycosylation

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-130374

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 3-16, 2014