Roles of N-glycans with alpha 2,6 as well as alpha 2,3 linked sialic acid in infection by polyoma virus

Specific glycosylation inhibitors ware used to show that N-glycans, and not O-glycans or glycolipids, constitute the major class of receptors on 3T3 cells for polyoma virus. Sialic acid (SA)-specific lectins were used in attempts to confirm the expected SA linkage on N-linked glycans. A lectin specific for alpha 2,6 linked SA, a non-receptor type, was slightly more effective in blocking infection than a lectin specific for alpha 2,3 linked SA which corresponds to the known receptor specificity. Possible explanations are suggested for this unexpected result. (C) 1997 Academic Press.