Sialic acid metabolism

Sialic acids are a family of 9 carbon alpha-keto acids that are usually present in the non reducing terminal of glycoconjuates on the cell surface of eukaryotic cells. These sialylated conjugates play important roles in cell recognition and signaling, neuronal development, cancer metastasis and bacterial or viral infection. More than 50 forms of sialic acid are found in nature, the most abundant being N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac, N-acetylneuraminate) (Li & Chen 2012, Wickramasinghe & Medrano 2011). The steps below describe the biosynthesis, transport, utilization and degradation of Neu5Ac in humans.

唾液酸是一类由9个碳原子组成的α-酮酸家族，通常存在于真核细胞表面糖基化结合物的非还原末端。这些唾液酸化结合物在细胞识别和信号传导、神经元发育、癌症转移以及细菌或病毒感染中发挥着至关重要的作用。自然界中存在超过50种唾液酸形式，其中最丰富的是N-乙酰神经氨酸酸（Neu5Ac，N-乙酰神经胺酸）（Li & Chen 2012，Wickramasinghe & Medrano 2011）。以下步骤描述了Neu5Ac在人类体内的生物合成、运输、利用和降解过程。