Terminal galactose as cancer recognition marker: Computing analysis with implications of vicinal sugars, linkage and anomery.

Afshan Kaleem; Ahmed Khurshid; Ishtiaq Ahmad; Evelyne Walker-Nasir; Nasir-Ud-Din; Sadia Khan; M. Iqbal Choudhary; A. R. Shakoori

Carbohydrate structures on proteins play vital role as recognition markers in several diseases including g cancer. The carbohydrate chains are dramatically - altered in cancer cells compared to normal cells, both in structure and quantity. The mucin O-glycans show several cancer associated structures like T- (Gal-GalNAc-Ser/Thr) and Tn-antigen (GaINAc-Ser/Thr). Terminal galactose (Gal) in macro type O-glycan oligosaccharide structures is known to act as t recognition marker for several cancer-associated lectins like galectin and mistletoe lectins. This study describes the role of terminal Gal, inclusive of its anomery, linkage and that of sugar residues vicinal to terminal Gal in oligosaccharide structures of glycoproteins as an epitope or as a recognition marker in cancer.