Keratan sulfate biosynthesis

Keratan sulfate was originally identified as the major glycosaminoglycan of cornea but is now known to modify at least a dozen different proteins in a wide variety of tissues. Despite a large body of research documenting keratan sulfate structure, and an increasing interest in the biological functions of keratan sulfate, until recently little was known of the specific enzymes involved in keratan sulfate biosynthesis or of the molecular mechanisms that control keratan sulfate expression. In the last 2 years, however, marked progress has been achieved in identification of genes involved in keratan sulfate biosynthesis and in development of experimental conditions to study keratan sulfate secretion and control in vitro. This review summarizes current understanding of keratan sulfate structure and recent developments in understanding keratan sulfate biosynthesis.