bacterial carbohydrate recognition are conveyed, covering Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria, in Chapter 4 Streptococci and Staphylococci, and in Chapter 5, carbohydrate binding specificities of Helicobacter pylori. In Chapter 6, Bitter sweetness of complexity, the collected reflections on mic- bial adhesion are expanded by a perspective on a broader impact of glycosylation on cellular adhesion, motility and regulatory processes, paralleling the complexity of N-glycan structures on cell surfaces. It highlights particularly how structural details of N-glycans have been causally related to pathological scenarios, with a focus on ?(1,6)-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. In the final chapter, biofilm formation is reviewed, covering knowledge about structure and biosynthesis of polysaccharide intercellular adhesins (PIAs) which are central to biofilm formation. This comprehensive chapter explains all PIA-related principles of medical device-associated infections. It is our hope, that this collection of expert articles, ranging from structural ch- istry and structural biology to biochemistry and medicine, will be a stimulation and motivation for our colleagues in the life sciences. At the same time, we hope that these reflections on microbial adhesion will awake interest in and promote und- standing of the complex processes associated with the glycocalyx and the multif- eted interactions between the host cell and its guest, as well as the biological consequences resulting from this mutual interplay.

Series presents critical reviews of the present position and future trends in modern chemical research Short and concise reports on chemistry, each written by the world renowned experts Still valid and useful after 5 or 10 years More information as well as the electronic version of the whole content available at: springerlink.com

Inhalt
Bitter Sweetness of Complexity.- Carbohydrate Receptors of Bacterial Adhesins: Implications and Reflections.- Structure, Function, and Assembly of Type 1 Fimbriae.- The Multiple Carbohydrate Binding Specificities of Helicobacter pylori.- Ins and Outs of Microbial Adhesion.- Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms: Functional Molecules, Relation to Virulence, and Vaccine Potential.- Architectures of Multivalent Glycomimetics for Probing CarbohydrateLectin Interactions.