Glycosylation changes in inflammatory diseases

Glycosylation is one of the most important modifications of proteins and lipids, and cell surface glycoconjugates are thought to play important roles in a variety of biological functions including cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, bacterial adhesion, cell immunogenicity and cell signaling. Alterations of glycosylation are observed in a number of inflammatory diseases. Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to modulate cell surface glycosylation by regulating the expression of glycosyltransferases and sulfotransferases involved in the biosynthesis of glycan chains, inducing the expression of specific carbohydrate antigens at the cell surface that can be recognized by different types of lectins or by bacterial adhesins, contributing to the development of diseases. Glycosylation can also regulate biological functions of immune cells by recruiting leukocytes to inflammation sites with pro- or anti-inflammatory effects. Cell surface proteoglycans provide a large panel of binding sites for many mediators of inflammation, and regulate their bio-availability and functions. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the glycosylation changes occurring in mucin type O-linked glycans, glycosaminoglycans, as well as in glycosphingolipids, with a particular focus on cystic fibrosis and neurodegenerative diseases, and their consequences on cell interactions and disease progression.