N-glycosylation, a leading role in viral infection and immunity development

Mol Biol Rep. 2022 Aug;49(8):8109-8120. doi: 10.1007/s11033-022-07359-4. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Abstract

N-linked protein glycosylation is an essential co-and posttranslational protein modification that occurs in all three domains of life; the assembly of N-glycans follows a complex sequence of events spanning the (Endoplasmic Reticulum) ER and the Golgi apparatus. It has a significant impact on both physicochemical properties and biological functions. It plays a significant role in protein folding and quality control, glycoprotein interaction, signal transduction, viral attachment, and immune response to infection. Glycoengineering of protein employed for improving protein properties and plays a vital role in the production of recombinant glycoproteins and struggles to humanize recombinant therapeutic proteins. It considers an alternative platform for biopharmaceuticals production. Many immune proteins and antibodies are glycosylated. Pathogen's glycoproteins play vital roles during the infection cycle and their expression of specific oligosaccharides via the N-glycosylation pathway to evade detection by the host immune system. This review focuses on the aspects of N-glycosylation processing, glycoengineering approaches, their role in viral attachment, and immune responses to infection.

Keywords: Glycoengineering; Immune response; N-glycan; Posttranslational modifications; Viral infection.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / metabolism
  • Glycoproteins / metabolism
  • Glycosylation
  • Golgi Apparatus* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Polysaccharides / metabolism
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Virus Diseases*

Substances

  • Glycoproteins
  • Polysaccharides
  • Recombinant Proteins