Jeffrey Perkel | Apr 28, 2002 | 8 min read
There's more to life than DNA, RNA, and proteins. Literally. Sugars are also in the mix. And the roles that carbohydrates play in biology are just as important as those of any member of the better-characterized trinity. These macromolecules affect cell-cell interactions, immune function, and protein regulation, and disruption of their biology results in disease. One magazine likened the study of carbohydrates, called glycobiology, to Cinderella—neglected stepsister to her two more glamoro