Question

Cells have oligosaccharides displayed on their cell surface that are important for cell- cell recognition. Your friend discovered a transmembrane glycoprotein, GP1, on a pathogenic yeast cell that is recognized by human immune cells. He decides to purify large amounts of GP1 by expressing it in bacteria. To his purified protein he then adds a branched 14-sugar oligosaccharide to the asparagine of the only Asn-X-Ser sequence found on GP1 as in the image below. Unfortunately, immune cells do not seem to recognize this synthesized glycoprotein. Which of the following statements is a likely explanation for this problem?

Answer 1

The synthesized glycoprotein with the added oligosaccharide may not match the recognition pattern of human immune cells, leading to them not recognizing the glycoprotein.

Step-by-step explanation:

The likely explanation for the immune cells not recognizing the synthesized glycoprotein is that the branched 14-sugar oligosaccharide added to GP1 is not the correct oligosaccharide for human immune cells recognition. Immune cells have specific receptors on their surface that recognize specific carbohydrate structures. If the added oligosaccharide does not match the recognition pattern of the immune cells, they will not be able to recognize and respond to the glycoprotein.