The normal liver has a hepatic lobule structure based on the arrangement of hepatocytes, and a hexagonal columnar structure around the central vein (Fig. 1(A)). There is interlobular connective tissue between hepatic lobules, and in fibrosis of the liver this region is expanded, and liver cells are killed and replaced by fibrotic tissue due to liver damage (Fig. 1(B)). Pathologically, liver fibrosis is classified into 5 stages, from F0 to F4 (F indicates fibrosis). In stage F4, normal lobule structure is completely destroyed and pseudo-hepatic lobules are formed. The pathophysiology of F4, which is the last stage of liver damage, corresponds to liver cirrhosis as described in the Introduction section. Even if liver fibrosis has progressed to F4, a state in which the liver function is relatively maintained is called “compensatory cirrhosis.” In contrast, a pathological condition accompanied by clinical symptoms such as ascites and hepatic encephalopathy is called “decompensated liver cirrhosis.” Regarding the pathology of liver cirrhosis, the Child classification, which includes biochemical tests and clinical symptoms, is well-known and is classified into three stages, from A to C.
In this sixth installment of the series, we would like to describe databases and repositories for glycolipids and glycoproteins, which are collectively known as glycoconjugates. Many proteins are glycosylated and correspondingly exhibit a wide variety of functions, and these protein-modifying glycans comprise a wide variety of structures. It is also known that the proteins are modified with different glycan structures depending on diseases and other factors. Here is an introduction to databases for glycoconjugates and mass spectrometry data repositories for glycans and glycoproteins.
Saccharide primers are sugar derivatives that serve as precursors in the glycan biosynthetic pathway. Saccharide primers can interact with cells to produce glycosylated products via the glycan biosynthetic pathway. The sequence of the glycosylated product can be analyzed by liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for glycan profiling and library construction. This paper introduces a saccharide primer method as a novel tool of glycomics.
The 11th International Conference on Proteoglycans was held at Ishikawa Ongakudo in Kanazawa from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3, 2019. A series of these international conferences are held every even-numbered year and allow proteoglycan researchers to meet as well as present and discuss their findings. This year, there were approximately 170 participants with 53 and 84 oral and poster presentations, respectively.
The TIAnano Bio Summer School (Glycan and Lectin) program (hereinafter referred to as “the Summer School”) is an annual event that has been held in early September at Ochanomizu University since 2017, and we are happy to announce that the 3rd Summer School was held successfully in 2019. TIA is an open innovation hub cooperatively led by five institutes, including the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and this event is a part of a project of the TIA designed to facilitate human resource development. Despite the event name, participants are not limited to graduate and undergraduate students: academic and industrial researchers are also welcomed. I participated in the 1st Summer School as one of the lecturers, and the 3rd Summer School as one of the organizers.
