Editorial overview: Carbohydrate-protein interactions and glycosylation: Glycan synthesis and recognition: finding the perfect partner in a sugar-coated life.

Oligosaccharides expressed on the surface of cells and in biological fluids as glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans and polysaccharides can be recognized by partner proteins, and these interactions have been shown to mediate fundamental biological events such as occur in the immune system, signal transduction, development and cancer metastasis. The specificities of these partner proteins (lectins) for their glycan ligands are determined by factors such as glycan composition, shape and density of expression and the involvement of the aglycone moiety as part of the recognition motif. There is increasing knowledge on the mechanisms of these interactions as new secondary binding sites continue to be elucidated adding to the functional awareness of sugar-binding proteins. This issue focuses on recent advances in understanding how C-type lectins in the immune system work, how novel motifs involving asymmetric glycan branch recognition and protein-protein interactions influence critical biological functions including signal transduction and bactericidal pore formation, recent studies on novel glycan-binding proteins produced by bacteriophage, analysis of the interactions between heparin/heparan sulphate and their binding proteins, and recent findings on the molecular interactions between chondroitin-dermatan sulphate and various bioactive protein components. We conclude with a review on a recent fascinating class of processive enzymes responsible for synthesis of high-molecular weight extracellular polysaccharides such as hyaluronic acid, chitin and alginate.