Nomenclature

The huge structural diversity of glycans mainly derives from the multiple linkages and branching points between monosaccharide units. Unlike linear polymers such as nucleic acids and proteins, variably-linked and branched glycan sequences cannot be represented by lines of texts. A standard nomenclature systems based on graphical symbols has been devised by the Consortium for Functional Glycomics. A document describing this nomenclature is available here. To simplify the presentation and discussion of glycan structures, I will usually omit the specification of anomerism and exact linkage points.

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