Lipooligosaccharides from Mycobacteria: Structure, Function, and Synthesis

Mycobacteria produce a number of ‘extractable glycolipids’, which are present at the outer periphery of their cell wall structure. These molecules are believed to play important roles in mycobacteriahost interactions, although for many of these species the manner in which they mediate biological events is poorly understood. We summarize here the structures of one class of these molecules (lipooligosaccharides), highlight briefly their biological role, and discuss synthetic work done to access this complex and diverse group of bacterial glycolipids.