Dear Glycofolk,
I wonder if anyone knows what the distribution of di-acetylated sialic
acid (or sialic acid that has acetylation at a position other than C5)
is in humans?
I know that enothelial cells express acetylation forms on carbons 5,4
and 9, which has significant effects on the attachment of the various
influenza viruses to these cells. What I am really interested in is
B-cells/plasmocytes and their sialylated products. Can IgG,A, E, D or M
express sialic acid residues with different acetyl groups?
Any information is appreciated.
Martin Dalziel
martin at axford.demon.co.uk