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Science: Because proteins often come with carbohydrates attached, knowing the sugars’ structures is important for understanding the proteins' function. But unlike the proteins themselves, whose structures are routinely derived from x-ray crystallography, the sugars have proven much more difficult to map. After an examination of some 50 000 sugar structures recorded in two major protein databases, Kevin Cowtan of the University of York and his colleagues have determined that 25% of them are wrong and another 64% are questionable. Therefore, they say, the structural biology community needs to work to improve measurement tools and techniques in order to better understand the function of glycoproteins and take advantage of their potential beneficial effects.
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Sugar structures in proteins poorly understood Free
28 April 2015