Synthetic glycopeptides and glycoproteins as tools for biology

Investigations into the roles of protein glycosylation have revealed functions such as modulating protein structure and localization, cell-cell recognition, and signaling in multicellular systems. However, detailed studies of these events are hampered by the heterogeneous nature of biosynthetic glycoproteins that typically exist in numerous glycoforms. Research into protein glycosylation, therefore, has benefited from homogeneous, structurally-defined glycoproteins obtained by chemical synthesis. This tutorial review focuses on recent applications of homogeneous synthetic glycopeptides and glycoproteins for studies of structure and function. In addition, the future of synthetic glycopeptides and glycoproteins as therapeutics is discussed.