Abstract
The surfaces of mammalian cells are covered by a variety of carbohydrates linked to proteins and lipids. N-glycans are commonly found carbohydrates in plasma membrane proteins. The structure and biosynthetic pathway of N-glycans have been analyzed extensively. However, functional analysis of cell surface N-glycans is just under way with recent studies of targeted disruption of genes involved in N-glycan synthesis. This review briefly introduces the potential role of processing α-mannosidases in N-glycan biosynthesis and recent findings derived from the α-mannosidase IIx (MX) gene knockout mouse, which shows male infertility. Thus, the MX gene knockout experiment unveiled a novel function of specific N-glycan, which is N-acetylglucosamine-terminated and fucosylated triantennary structure, in the adhesion between germ cells and Sertoli cells. Analysis of the MX gene knockout mouse is a good example of a multidisciplinary approach leading to a novel discovery in the emerging field of glycobiology.
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Received 29 November 2002; received after revision 30 December 2002; accepted 20 January 2003
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Fukuda, M.N., Akama, T.O. The in vivo role of α-mannosidase IIx and its role in processing of N-glycans in spermatogenesis. CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 60, 1351–1355 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-003-2339-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-003-2339-x