Effect of N-linked glycosylation on glycopeptide and glycoprotein structure.

Asparagine-linked glycosylation is an enzyme-catalyzed, co-translational protein modification reaction that has the capacity to influence either the protein folding process or the stability of the native glycoprotein conjugate. Advances in both glycoconjugate chemical synthesis and glycoprotein expression methods have increased the availability of these once elusive biopolymers. The application of spectroscopic methods to these proteins has begun to illuminate the various ways in which the saccharide affects the structure, function and stability of the proteins.