Glycosylation in parasitic protozoa of the trypanosomatidae family.

Over the last few years enormous interest has been shown in the structures of the glycan moieties of various parasite surface glycoconjugates. Structures have been determined for the glyco-components of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) protein membrane anchors, for asparagine-linked oligosaccharides, and for the glycans of complex glycolipids. The following attempts to illustrate a few of the most salient observations with regard to the structures and possible functions of parasite surface glycans.