NICOLLE R. FULLER / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY NICOLLE R. FULLER / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Illustration of sugar molecules (gold) attached to proteins on a cancer cell's surface. This addition of sugar molecules is known as glycosylation, and the resultant molecules are known as glycoproteins. Glycoproteins play important roles in many cellular functions including cell division and differentiation. Glycosylation increases in cancerous cells, promoting their growth and proliferation. Glycoproteins on cancerous cells have truncated sugar molecules compared to healthy cells, which makes them a promising target for therapeutic agents.
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