摘要
Life requires more than nucleic acids and proteins;sweet sugar molec ules could be ano ther life code beyond the central dogma of molecular biology.There are four equally important major building blocks of life:nucleic acids(DNA and RNA),proteins,carbohydrates(glycans),and lipids.The first two are also known as the first and second alphabets of biology,following the principle of the"central dogma"of transcription(DNA to RNA)and trahslation(RNA to protein).However,the latter two crucial components,glycans and lipids,are missing from biology's central dogma Regarding the communi-cation between glycans and lipids,there may be a yet-to-be-discovered law:Does a paracentral dogma exist?This commentary focuses on glycans,the third alphabet of life,and their role in the sociomateriality of the cell,which provides a novel dimension of medical science-glycomedicine.
作者
王嵬
Wei Wang(Centre for Precision Health,Edith Cowan University,Perth,WA 6027,Australia;Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology,School of Public Health,Capital Medical University,Beijing 100069,China;School of Public Health,Shandong First Medical University&Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences,Tai'an 271016,China;The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College,Shantou 515041,China)
