Sources
open directory project
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Fucose
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fucose | |
  |
|
| Chemical formula | C6H12O5 |
| Molar mass | 164.16 g mol−1 |
| Systematic name | (3S,4R,5R,6S)-6-methyloxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol |
| Complete data | |
Fucose is a hexose sugar with the chemical formula C6H12O5. It is found on N-linked glycans on the mammalian, insect and plant cell surface, and is the fundamental sub-unit of the fucoidan polysaccharide. Alpha1→3 linked core fucose is a suspected carbohydrate antigen for IgE-mediated allergy.[1]
Two structural features distinguish fucose from other six-carbon sugars present in mammals: the lack of a hydroxyl group on the carbon at the 6-position (C-6) and the L-configuration. It is equivalent to 6-deoxy-L-galactose.
In the fucose-containing glycan structures, fucosylated glycans, fucose can exist as a terminal modification or serve as an attachment point for adding other sugars.[2]
Fucose is metabolized by an enzyme called alpha-fucosidase.
- ^
Daniel J. Becker; John B. Lowe (July 2003). "Fucose: biosynthesis and biological function in mammals". Glycobiology 13: 41R–53R. PMID 12651883. - ^
Daniel J. Moloney; Robert S. Haltiwanger (July 1999). "The O-linked fucose glycosylation pathway: identification and characterization of a uridine diphosphoglucose: fucose-[beta]1,3-glucosyltransferase activity from Chinese hamster ovary cells". Glycobiology 9: 679–687. PMID 10362837.
 |
This article about an organic compound is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |