Revealing the expression, degradation and binding characteristics fo the glycosaminoglycans

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Heparan sulfate (HS) is a linear polysaccharide that is ubiquitous in complex organisms. It is found in the space between cells and is proposed to orchestrate many biological events that coordinate organismal development and maintenance. HS has also been found to be a key player in many human diseases ranging from cancer to bacterial and viral infections. Despite the wide spread presence and importance of HS, very few tools are available to study its overall structure. Our research program is focused on developing new tools and techniques to facilitate HS research. We aim to generate conjugates that mimic the structure of HS. We will test the ability of these compounds to interact with a variety of HS binding proteins important in immune function. Understanding how these HS mimics function and comparing the findings to to those observed with the natural HS polymer will lead to a better understanding of HS and how diseases which involve HS may be controlled. We also aim to prepare fluorescent sensors able to report on the macromolecular structure of HS. Being able to follow changes in the structure of HS will lead to important findings as to how HS regulates biological function.