What is Sialylated Glycan? 

Sialic acid is present at the terminal ends of glycan chains in glycoproteins, glycolipids, and milk oligosaccharides. In the human body, sialic acid exists as N-acetylneuraminic acid. Its distribution spans throughout the body, including cell membranes such as those of red blood cells, blood vessels, airways, nerves, as well as secretions like breast milk and saliva. Sialic acid is believed to play an important role in brain formation and development, especially considering its abundance in gangliosides and glycolipids found in the brain, as well as its large presence in colostrum during infancy, which is considered crucial for brain formation.

Sialylated glycans have been shown to play critical roles in various biological processes, including cell-cell recognition, cell differentiation, bacterial and viral infections, and cellular signaling. For instance, the initiation of influenza infection is well-known to begin with the binding of hemagglutinin on the virus surface to sialic acid on the cell surface.1) Recent studies on Siglec (Sialic acid-binding Immunoglobulin-type Lectin) have highlighted its association with autoimmune diseases, cancer, and its role as an immune checkpoint regulator.2,3)

Adequate quantities of sialylated glycans are essential for advancing research in glycan-related studies. However, sialylated glycans with complex structures are naturally present only in trace amounts, making them difficult to obtain sufficient quantities.

  Sialylated Glycans-related Products 

We offer a variety of glycans with various aglycones, including ceramide commonly found in gangliosides. We provide glycans modified with pNP groups, widely used in enzyme activity assays, as well as those conjugated with aminoalkyl groups suitable for glycan-protein conjugation. Additionally, we offer glycans modified with azidoalkyl groups, which are compatible with click chemistry, allowing you to choose the appropriate option based on your specific needs. Our products cover sialic acid residues not only in the typical N-Ac form but also in the N-Gc form, which is not usually present in humans. Moreover, we provide a wide range of building block products, monosaccharides and disaccharides, that are highly utilized in sialic acid-containing glycan chemical synthesis. If you require sialylated glycans not listed in our product catalog, please feel free to contact us, as we are happy to assist you.

Glycolipid Oligosaccharides / Reducing End Free Glycans

We offer products that correspond to ceramides commonly found in gangliosides, glycans with varying ceramide lengths, and glycans with free reducing ends.

We introduce pNP (p-nitrophenyl) groups at the reducing ends, widely used for enzyme activity assays.

  Glycolipid Oligosaccharides  

  G0489  Ganglioside GM3