N-Acetyl-D-galactosamine, N-乙酰-D-半乳糖胺

N-acetyl D-galactosamine (GalNAc) is an aldohexose (2-Acetamido-2-deoxygalactose) in which the hydroxyl group at position 2 is replaced by a N-Acetyl group (Collins, 2006). N-acetyl D-galactosamine forms a key part of both N- and O-linked glycoproteins, glycolipids, gangliosides, blood groups, glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin and dermatan sulfate) and human milk oligosaccharides. The number of GalNAc residues attached to the IgA O-linked glycans of Crohns Disease patients was significantly decreased, and strongly correlated with clinical activity. It is suggested that alterations of GalNAc attachment in IgA may be useful as a novel diagnostic and prognostic marker of Crohns Disease (Inoue, 2012).

N-acetyl-D-Galactosamine (GalNAc) is an amino sugar derivative of galactose and a component of O-GalNAc glycans. It is transferred from UDP-GalNAc to the hydroxy group of protein serine or threonine residues by polypeptide GalNAc transferase, forming the Tn antigen, during the first step of mucin-type O-glycosylation. GalNAc has been used as a targeting moiety for liver-targeted delivery of oligonucleotides.