Workshops in Molecular and Cellular Glycoscience

描述（由申请方提供）：修饰所有真核细胞表面的糖蛋白和糖脂的聚糖（碳水化合物）组分以及这些细胞产生的分泌糖蛋白与聚糖结合蛋白相互作用，以介导细胞过程，包括免疫细胞的分化、活化和迁移、蛋白质折叠的质量控制以及细胞表面蛋白质组成的调节。尽管这些过程的重要性，分子水平的描述的调节聚糖的合成，糖蛋白结构上的影响，和细胞的功能反应蛋白质-聚糖的相互作用仍然处于起步阶段。这在一定程度上反映了 由聚糖结构多样性和细胞对在不同生物界面发现的不同聚糖呈现的复杂性所提出的挑战。克服这些挑战的关键是具有足够多样性技能的研究人员的合作， 制定全面的解决方案。该提案要求为一系列研讨会（每年两次），一次大会和一个网络基础设施提供资金，这将促进研究人员与这些不同技能的互动，以解决糖科学中具有挑战性的问题。这里提出的通信网络和研讨会结构是建立在功能性糖组学联盟（CFG）的成功经验之上的，该联盟是过去十年来由“胶水赠款”资助的实体，其现有500多名参与研究者。拟议的讲习班将扩大糖科学研究的范围，并促进新的研究小组的形成，以解决对人类健康具有重要意义的重大问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The glycan (carbohydrate) components of the glycoproteins and glycolipids that adorn the surfaces of all eukaryotic cells, as well as the secreted glycoproteins produced by these cells, interact with glycan binding proteins to mediate cellular processes that include differentiation, activation and migration of immune cells, quality control in protein folding, and regulation of protein composition at the cell surface. Despite the importance of these processes, molecular level descriptions of the regulation of glycan synthesis, the influence of glycans on glycoprotein structure, and the functional responses of cells to protein-glycan interactions remain at their infancy. In part this reflects the significant challenges presented by glycan structural diversity and by the complexity of cellular responses to the varied glycan presentations found at diverse biological interfaces. A key to overcoming these challenges is the cooperation of researchers with skills of sufficient diversity to allow the formulation of comprehensive solutions. This proposal requests funding for a series of workshops (two per year), one general meeting, and a networking infrastructure, that will promote the interaction of researchers with these diverse skills in order to solve challenging problems in glycoscience. The communication network and workshop structure proposed here is built on the successful experience of the Consortium for Functional Glycomics (CFG), an entity funded by a "Glue Grant" for the last ten years, and its pool of now more than 500 participating investigators. The proposed workshops will broaden the scope of glycoscience investigations and facilitate the formation of new research teams to address major issues of importance to human health.