Glycoconjugates in the mammalian auditory system

J. Neurochem. (2011) 116, 756–763. Cell‐surface glycoconjugates, such as proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and glycosphingolipids have been suggested to serve important functions in hearing because of their variety and their specific expression patterns during the development and maturation of cochlea. However, there has been no definitive proof regarding their involvement in auditory functions. In this study, we provide an overview of the expression of glycoconjugates in auditory systems and consider their possible involvement in hearing functions. We include our recent findings regarding deafness in ganglioside (sialic acid containing glycosphingolipids)‐deficient mice, and address the importance of functional glycobiology in auditory systems.