Fucose

Fucose is a hexose deoxy sugar with the chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₅. It is found on N-linked glycans on the mammalian, insect and plant cell surface, and is the fundamental sub-unit of the fucoidan polysaccharide. Alpha1→3 linked core fucose is a suspected carbohydrate antigen for IgE-mediated allergy.^[1]

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Two structural features distinguish fucose from other six-carbon sugars present in mammals: the lack of a hydroxyl group on the carbon at the 6-position (C-6) and the L-configuration. It is equivalent to 6-deoxy-L-galactose.

In the fucose-containing glycan structures, fucosylated glycans, fucose can exist as a terminal modification or serve as an attachment point for adding other sugars.^[2] In human N-linked glycans, fucose is most commonly linked alpha 1-6 to the reducing terminal beta-N-acetlyglucosamine. However, fucose at the non-reducing termini linked alpha 1-2 to galactose forms the H antigen, the substructure of the A and B blood group antigens.

Fucose is metabolized by an enzyme called alpha-fucosidase.

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