CARBOHYDRATE-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS IN VASCULAR BIOLOGY

Carbohydrate-protein interactions participate in a wide variety of bio logical and pathological events. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to the carbohydrate-protein interactions that occur in vascular biology. Sialylated oligosaccharides are ligands of a structu rally diverse group of proteins that include the selectins and members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Various glycosaminoglycans can be recognized by an overlapping set of proteins that include two of the s electins and CD44. Emerging knowledge of carbohydrate-protein interact ions in human pathophysiology are discussed.