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Membrane Glycoproteins

Glycoproteins are proteins that have sugar molecules attached to them. These sugar molecules are actually gathered into short chains, or oligosaccharides. The sugar molecules that make up oligosaccharides aren't just limited to the type of sugar you add to your coffee there are actually many different types of simple sugar molecules. Just like the different letters of the alphabet can be joined together to create thousands of different words, these sugars can join together in different patterns to create thousands of different oligosaccharides. And, just like we use words to communicate, cells use oligosaccharides on the outside of their plasma membranes to communicate with other cells.

The cell uses glycoproteins embedded in the plasma membrane to get the oligosaccharides on the outside of the cell. Embedded proteins typically have a portion of the protein outside the cell, which is typically decorated with different oligosaccharides, depending on what message is being sent. Let's discuss a few examples of the types of communication that occur using glycoproteins in cell membranes.

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