Membrane Glycoprotein

A membrane glycoprotein is a protein embedded in or associated with the cell membrane that has one or more covalently attached carbohydrate (oligosaccharide) chains. These molecules are critical for a wide range of cellular functions, including recognition, signaling, adhesion, and immune response. They are found on the outer surface of eukaryotic cell membranes and are involved in cell-cell recognition, cell adhesion, cell signaling, and immune function. Aberrant glycosylation patterns can be associated with diseases such as cancer or viral infections. Due to the diversity of the structure of the carbohydrate chains they can be very specific to cell types and therefore can be very good therapeutic targets.

Other names

Cell surface glycoproteinGlycoprotein receptorGlycoprotein adhesion moleculeGlycoprotein enzymeGlycoprotein transporter