Glycoconjugates

Structural analysis of proteins has shown that up to half of naturally occurring proteins are subject to posttranslational modifications with the vast majority glycosylated. These covalent linkages involve several amino acids and have distinct structrual characteristics. In addition, a large number of lipids have covalently attached carbohydrate, necessary for their biological functions.

The glycoproteins may be classified into two broad categories: N-linked and
O-linked.