Essentials of Glycobiology—Part 10 (Nutrient Availability)

Larry A. Law

In the National Academy of Science October 2012 publication, scientists quote a study which said, "Unlike nucleic acids and proteins, the structures of glycans are not 'hard-wired' in the genome. Because of the multiple linkages that sugars can engage in that produce isomers and branching patterns, glycan structures cannot accurately be described as simple linear sequences of building blocks. Rather, a glycan's most basic structure must be described in three dimensions. Because glycan structures are not template encoded, they are plastic, reflecting myriad factors determined by cellular metabolism, cell type, developmental stage, nutrient availability, other cues from the cell's environment and stochastic events." Let me unpack this incredible statement in the next paragraph. I think you will be as completely awestruck as I was the first time I read it and comprehended what scientists were actually admitting.

Nutrient Availability

Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. The two main classes of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). So, the statement is saying that unlike DNA, RNA, and proteins, glycan structures are not built using a template or blueprint. They are way more complex. The geometric structures they form resemble bushes and trees. The leaves on the trees are the sugars. The trees (glycan structures) branch out and bend in a multitude of three-dimensional ways that we do not understand. It appears to scientists that many factors influence, but do not control, the development of these complicated antenna structures. Note that stochastic (in the first paragraph) means random events that happen in nature for no discernable reason. Multiple factors seem to influence glycosylation (the adding of glycans to proteins/lipids to form these antennas). This implies that glycosylation is not genetic. Genes do not control it. Something above the genes (epigenetics) is at work. 

The one factor that struck me most vividly was the term nutrient availability. Scientists are reluctantly saying that food is a critical factor. Good food provides the nutrients (including required sugar nutrients) needed to make these structures. We are what we eat especially at the cell level! We have much more control over our health and wellness than scientists and doctors have ever led us to believe. You are not a victim of your genetics.