Glycosidases and Glycosyl Transferases

碳水化合物和含碳水化合物的糖蛋白是生命所必需的。催化这些分子的分解（糖苷酶）和合成（糖基转移酶）的酶在生物学中起着关键作用，并在医学和生物技术中有许多实际应用。例如，纤维素和相关的木聚糖是地球上最丰富的碳形式。因此，切割这些碳水化合物的糖苷酶在食品、纺织品、纸张和燃料生产中具有巨大的“绿色化学”作用。相反，抑制糖苷酶和糖基转移酶作用的化合物可能有助于控制疾病，如微生物感染、糖尿病、癌症和神经变性。因此，这些酶仍然是深入研究的主题，旨在了解和操纵它们构建或降解碳水化合物底物的机制。

Carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing glycoproteins are essential to life. The enzymes that catalyze the breakdown (glycosidases) and synthesis (glycosyl transferases) of these molecules play critical roles in biology and have many practical applications in medicine and biotechnology. For example, cellulose and related xylan are the most abundant forms of carbon on earth. Accordingly, the glycosidases that cleave these carbohydrates have enormous "green chemistry" roles in food, textile, paper, and fuel production. Conversely, compounds that inhibit the action of glycosidases and glycosyl transferases may help control diseases such as microbial infections, diabetes, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Therefore, these enzymes remain the subject of intensive research aimed towards understanding and manipulating the mechanisms by which they build or degrade their carbohydrate substrates.