GRK 1549: Molecular and Cellular Glyco-Sciences (MCGS). Understanding Structure/Function Relationships of Carbohydrate/Protein Interactions

含碳水化合物的生物分子-寡糖和多糖、糖蛋白和糖脂-越来越被认为是携带信息的分子，在细胞和生物体内和之间具有非常重要的信号和调节功能。其中许多是由于各自的碳水化合物与细胞蛋白质(如受体或酶)的直接相互作用。我们的国际研究培训小组详细介绍了细胞内碳水化合物/蛋白质相互作用的分子和生化方面。重点放在结构/功能关系上，即阐明负责多糖与其目标蛋白相互作用的结构要求。印度小组主要处理蛋白质方面的问题(例如，确定特定凝集素的潜在碳水化合物结合部位)，而德国小组则侧重于碳水化合物部分的分析和功能方面(例如，确定多糖的潜在蛋白质结合域)。每个博士项目都由一名印度人和一名德国人联合调查。这将在分子水平上建立对结构/功能关系的基本理解，从而使我们最终能够开发、验证和应用所需的工具，为新的知识驱动的应用开发糖结构的生物技术潜力。研究培训小组召集了一组来自生物、化学、药学和医学的国际公认的研究团队，为博士生的培训和教育启动了一种跨学科和跨文化的方法。研究培训小组从竞争激烈的国际申请者库中录取自然科学不同学科的不同学位的候选人，包括生物技术、药剂学、医学、药理学、农业、兽医、食品和材料科学等应用科学。研究培训小组提供一次基础讲座，包括糖类科学研讨会和为期三周的夏季和冬季学校，然后是为期一周的短途旅行、个人技术讲习班和两个促进技能的单元。研究培训小组将组织一年两次的MCGS网络研讨会。研究培训小组成立后不久，由15名博士后和博士后组成，由14名科学家提供建议，其中一半学生和科学家来自德国，一半来自印度。

Carbohydrate-containing biomolecules - oligo- and polysaccharides, glycoproteins and glycolipids - are increasingly recognised as information-bearing molecules with highly important signalling and regulatory functions within and between cells and organisms. Many of these are due to direct interactions of the respective carbohydrates with cellular proteins, such as receptors or enzymes. Molecular and biochemical aspects of such carbohydrate/protein interactions in the cellular context are characterised in detail by our International Research Training Group. The focus lies on structure/function relationships, i.e. on elucidating the structural requirements responsible for the interaction of glycans with their target proteins. While the Indian groups are mainly dealing with the protein aspects (e.g. identifying potential carbohydrate binding sites of specific agglutinins), the German groups are focussing on the analytical and functional aspects of the carbohydrate moieties (e.g. identifying potential protein binding domains of glycans). Each doctoral project is jointly investigated by an Indian and by a German group. This will create a basic understanding of structure/function relationships at a molecular level and, thus, will allow us to eventually develop, validate and apply the tools needed to exploit the biotechnological potential of glyco-structures for novel knowledge-driven applications. The Research Training Group convenes a group of internationally recognised research teams from biology, chemistry, pharmacy and medicine, initiating an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach for the doctoral candidates training and education. The Research Training Group accepts candidates with different degrees in different disciplines of natural sciences, including applied sciences such as biotechnology, pharmacy, medicine, pharmacology, agriculture, veterinary, food and material sciences, from a competitive pool of international applicants. The Research Training Group offers a basic lecture with seminar on glyco-sciences and three-weeks summer and winter schools followed by one-week excursions, individual technical workshops and two enabling skills modules. The Research Training Group will organise bi-annual MCGS Network Symposia. Shortly after its inauguration, the Research Training Group comprised 15 doctoral and post-doctoral students advised by 14 scientists, with half of the students and scientists from Germany, half from India.