N-linked oligosaccharides as outfitters for glycoprotein folding, form and function

Glycosylation, particularly N-linked glycosylation, profoundly affects protein folding, oligomerization and stability. The increased efficiency of folding of glycosylated proteins could be due to the chaperone-like activity of glycans, which is observed even when the glycan is not attached to the protein. Covalently linked glycans could also facilitate oligomerization by mediating inter-subunit interactions in the protein or stabilizing the oligomer in other ways. Glycosylation also affects the rate of fibril formation in prion proteins: N-glycans reduce the rate of fibril formation, and O-glycans affect the rate either way depending on factors such as position and orientation. It has yet to be determined whether there is any correlation among the sites of glycosylation and the ensuing effect in multiply glycosylated proteins. It is also not apparent whether there is a common pattern in the conservation of glycans in a related family of glycoproteins, but it is evident that glycosylation is a multifaceted post-translational modification. Indeed, glycosylation serves to ‘outfit’ proteins for fold–function balance.