Understanding the biological role of the diverse oligosaccharides of glycoproteins and glycolipids has been a major challenge in cell biology. Glycosylation is an essential step during molecular recognition and is involved in protein folding, sorting, targeting and intracellular translocation. Further, glycoproteins of the cell membrane play a major role in cell adhesion, hormone function, antibody action and signal mediation. Current knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in these processes is presented.

Components and Mechanisms Involved in Protein Translocation Through the ER Membrane.- Protein Sorting Signals for Maintaining Transmembrane Proteins in the Endoplasmic Reticulum.- Protein Retention in the Golgi Stack.- Signal-Mediated Targeting of Lysosomal Membrane Glycoproteins.- VIP21, Caveolae and Sorting in the Trans-Golgi Network of Epithelial Cells.- Biogenesis of Neurosecretory Vesicles.- Lipid Transport from the Golgi Complex to the Plasma Membrane of Epithelial Cells.- Topology and Regulation of Ganglioside Metabolism - Function and Pathobiochemistry of Sphingolipid Activator Proteins.- Why Does Baker's Yeast Glycosylate Proteins?.- Glycosylation of Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Proteins Is as Abundant and as Dynamic as Phosphorylation.- Novel N-Glycosylation in Eukaryotes: Laminin Contains the Linkage Unit ?-Glucosylasparagine.- Reprocessing of Membrane Glycoproteins.- Mutational Analysis of Carbohydrate and Phospholipid Modifications of a Cell Adhesion Protein.- Towards Understanding Roles of Oligosaccharides as Recognition Structures.- The Biologic Significance of Glycoprotein Hormone Oligosaccharides.- Biosynthesis of Antibodies and Molecular Chaperones.- Function of Molecular Chaperones in Protein Folding.