The methyl group at the C6 position (replacing the typical hydroxyl) gives L-fucose greater hydrophobicity than galactose, contributing to its distinct role in cell-surface recognition processes, including blood group antigen expression, Lewis antigen formation, and selectin-mediated leukocyte adhesion. Its presence on N- and O-linked glycans makes it a critical target in glycobiology research, biopharmaceutical glycoengineering (notably in antibody afucosylation strategies to enhance ADCC), and infant nutrition (as a component of HMOs).
L-Fucose (6-deoxy-L-galactose) is a naturally occurring deoxy hexose sugar and a key structural component of glycoproteins, glycolipids, and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). It is the only L-configured sugar commonly utilized by mammals, distinguishing it from most other biologically relevant monosaccharides.
| Chemical Name | L-Fucose (6-Deoxy-L-galactose) |
| CAS Number | 2438-80-4 |
| IUPAC Name | 6-Deoxy-L-galactopyranose |
| Molecular Formula | C6H12O5 |
| Molecular Weight | 164.16 g/mol g/mol |
Used in monoclonal antibody research to study fucosylation's impact on ADCC activity and therapeutic efficacy.
Structural component of fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides used in infant formula development.
Applied in skincare products for its role in cell signaling and skin barrier-related research.
Substrate for studying fucosidases, fucosyltransferases, and Lewis/blood group antigen biology.
J. Biol. Chem.
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