Based on the third symposium on "Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates," this text covers the latest in glycotopes, structures and functions of complex carbohydrates, recognition factors of lectins, biomolecular interactions and other glycosciences. This volume highlights the informative events of the Symposium on Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates III, held at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, on July 15-20, 2007, in Taipei, Taiwan.

I organized this symposium, "Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates-2 (MICC-2)," at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan th between August 28-September 2, 1999, as a satellite meeting of the 15 International Glycoconjugate Conference (held August 22-27 in Tokyo, Japan). I also held a Taiwan- Canada Glycobiology Workshop after this meeting at the Institutes of Biological Chemistry and Chemistry. To promote glycobiology in Taiwan, I offered a Complexs Carbohydrate & Medicine-2 workshop at the Glyco- Research Laboratory, College of Medicine, Chang- Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, Taiwan before the MICC-2 symposium. The lecture and poster materials of these three meetings are collected in these proceedings, which are divided into five Sections and two Appendixes. Section I, entitled "Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions of Plant and Animal Lectins," provides current concepts of lectin-carbohydrate interactions; classification of lectins, based on amino acid sequences, molecular structures, and lectin affinity for carbohydrates. However, the relationships between amino acid sequences and carbohydrate affinity of lectins have to be more thoroughly characterized. The reviews on animal lectins in this Section explore new areas of lectins. Section II, "Aspects of Structure and Antigenicity of Glycoconjugates," provides important information on structural concepts of glyco- immunology. "Glycotope Expression (Glycosylation), Metabolism and Functions," which play important roles in life processes, are discussed in Section III. Four articles on advances in knowledge on structural roles of glycans and treatment of cancer are discussed in Section IV.

During the past three decades, the sugar moiety of complex carbohydrates has been found to be involved in important interactions of immunological specificity of antigens and to participate in a variety of cellular functions. The long polysaccharide side chains of the lipopolysaccharides on the outer membrane of Gram negative organisms provide surface antigens for differential serodiagnosis. Bacterial surface lectins are important in mediating the attachment of bacteria to host cells in the of infectious diseases. The carbohydrate pathogenesis moieties of cell surface glycoconjugates (glycoproteins and glycolipids) of mammals are the sites for intercellular recognition and for the regulatory molecular interactions such as interaction of complex carbohydrate with hormones or hepatic lectins. The carbohydrate side chains of many complex carbohydrates play essential roles as antigenic determinants b of human blood group ABH, Lea, Le , I, and i activities, as the Forssman specific determinant, and as tumor associated antigenic determinants. Prompted by these and other advances in the field, a Symposium on Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates was organized as a satellite meeting of the 8th International Glycoconjugate Conference held on September 8- 13, 1985, in Houston, Texas, U. S . A. Many eminent scientists contributed their knowledge at this meeting. The lecture and poster materials of the symposium are contained in this proceeding book, which is divided into four Sections and one Appendix. Section I is entitled Antibody Specificity, Epitope, and Lectinology. Dr. Elvin A.

I organized this symposium, "Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates-2 (MICC-2)," at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan th between August 28-September 2, 1999, as a satellite meeting of the 15 International Glycoconjugate Conference (held August 22-27 in Tokyo, Japan). I also held a Taiwan- Canada Glycobiology Workshop after this meeting at the Institutes of Biological Chemistry and Chemistry. To promote glycobiology in Taiwan, I offered a Complexs Carbohydrate & Medicine-2 workshop at the Glyco- Research Laboratory, College of Medicine, Chang- Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, Taiwan before the MICC-2 symposium. The lecture and poster materials of these three meetings are collected in these proceedings, which are divided into five Sections and two Appendixes. Section I, entitled "Protein-Carbohydrate Interactions of Plant and Animal Lectins," provides current concepts of lectin-carbohydrate interactions; classification of lectins, based on amino acid sequences, molecular structures, and lectin affinity for carbohydrates. However, the relationships between amino acid sequences and carbohydrate affinity of lectins have to be more thoroughly characterized. The reviews on animal lectins in this Section explore new areas of lectins. Section II, "Aspects of Structure and Antigenicity of Glycoconjugates," provides important information on structural concepts of glyco- immunology. "Glycotope Expression (Glycosylation), Metabolism and Functions," which play important roles in life processes, are discussed in Section III. Four articles on advances in knowledge on structural roles of glycans and treatment of cancer are discussed in Section IV.

Based on the proceedings of the third international symposium on "Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates," this text is the latest in a series dedicated to glycotopes, structures and functions of complex carbohydrates, recognition factors of lectins, biomolecular interactions and other glycosciences. Section I of the book pays tribute to three pioneers in the field--Walter T.J. Morgan, Elvin A. Kabat and especially Winifred M. Watkins; it presents advanced concepts concerning the structure and functions of Blood group ABH/Le-related antigens, offering a comprehensive review on human blood group ABH/Ii, Lea, b, x, y and siayl Lea, x glycotopes of human ovarian cyst glycoproteins. Section II covers the interactions of plant, bacterial and animal lectins with carbohydrates and proteins. Section III describes the structures and functions of gangliosides and microbial glycolipids. Section IV covers the physiological roles of other clycocunjugates in humans, animals, sponges and bacteria as well as aging-related alterations of glycosylation profile in humans. Section V discusses the role of carbohydrates as antigens and regulators of the immune response. Section VI addresses some aspects of the glycobiology of cancer. And section VII details new methodologies in glycol-synthesis and lectin-carbohydrate binding assays and strategies for treatment as crucial applications.