Abstract: N-glycosylation of proteins is the major post-translational modification occurring in nature and has important biological effects. It has been found that protein N-glycosylation is not restricted to eukaryotes, but also exists in prokaryotes. The research progress for prokaryotes protein N-glycosylation and the effects of glycosylation on the physiological function of organisms were summarized. The structure of N-glycosyltransferase and its recognition characteristics for substrates were also analyzed, and the application of the prokaryotic N-glycosylation system in glycosylation engineering was discussed, with a view to providing solutions for the design of new vaccines and disease treatments.

Key words: bacteria, archaea, N-glycosylation, physiological function, glycosylation engineering