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Nature 445, 31-33 (4 January 2007) | doi:10.1038/445031a; Published online 3 January 2007

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Bioorganic chemistry: A sweet synthesis

Linda C. Hsieh-Wilson1

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Peptides and proteins with sugars attached have many desirable biological properties, but their chemical synthesis is a technical challenge. An ingenious take on an old idea might simplify things considerably.

Part of what distinguishes us from bacteria is that the proteins in our bodies are decorated with elaborate arrays of sugars. Protein glycosylation — the attachment of sugars to the amino-acid building-blocks of proteins — plays a crucial role in such diverse processes as protein folding, cell–cell communication and viral invasion of cells.

  1. Linda C. Hsieh-Wilson is at the California Institute of Technology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
    Email: lhw@caltech.edu

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