Structure, Biosynthesis and Significance of Cell Wall Glycoproteins

Abstract

Glycoproteins are interesting molecules because they play important roles in morphogenesis. But glycoproteins are not always as sweet as their name sounds; they are often very slippery both conceptually and in experimenters' hands. 33 We can if we wish wrestle with the problem of deciding between Eylar's suggestion13 that sugar residues are the passport for secretion, and the proposal of Winterburn and Phelps50 that sugars are a code not for secretion per se but for topographical location of the ``secreted'' glycoproteins. Such unifying concepts are always good for a few years of controversy! In this chapter are presented several additional suggestions which may help in understanding the origin of the extracellular matrix in plants and animals.