Glycobiology of Reproductive Processes in Marine Animals: The State of the Art

Marine Drugs

Alessandra Gallo¹ 

[1] Laboratory of Animal Physiology and Evolution, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples 80121, Italy; E-Mail

关键词: embryo development;    ferilization;    glycobiology;    oogeneesis;    spermatogenesis;   

DOI  :  10.3390/md10122861

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Glycobiology is the study of complex carbohydrates in biological systems and represents a developing field of science that has made huge advances in the last half century. In fact, it combines all branches of biomedical research, revealing the vast and diverse forms of carbohydrate structures that exist in nature. Advances in structure determination have enabled scientists to study the function of complex carbohydrates in more depth and to determine the role that they play in a wide range of biological processes. Glycobiology research in marine systems has primarily focused on reproduction, in particular for what concern the chemical communication between the gametes. The current status of marine glycobiology is primarily descriptive, devoted to characterizing marine glycoconjugates with potential biomedical and biotechnological applications. In this review, we describe the current status of the glycobiology in the reproductive processes from gametogenesis to fertilization and embryo development of marine animals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.