The alteration of proteins glycosylation in liver diseases

Abstract The changes in protein glycosylation play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of various liver diseases. In the different types of liver diseases the same type of alterations seems to reappear. They are: hyperfucosylation, increased branching and the presence of increased bisecting N-acetylglucosamine of glycans. For these modification are responsible the activities of different glycosyltransferases, that are generally increased in liver diseases. However, the changes in the glycans structure of serum proteins are characteristic in the liver diseases of different etiologies and therefore could be potentially used in the diagnostics of liver pathology