Polysaccharide discovery

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Polysaccharides are a diverse outer-surface component of microbial organisms that are important for serotype classification and vaccine development. The discovery and determination of polysaccharide structure is fundamental for any subsequent scientific research that deals with these biomolecules. The backbone of our research program is the discovery and detailed structural chemistry of novel polysaccharides that are elaborated by infectious microorganisms. The polysaccharide covalent structures are elucidated using a creative and multidisciplinary approach based on chemical, analytical and spectroscopic studies. The determination of microbial polysaccharide structures involves selective extraction procedures followed by case-specific chemical degradations and analysis of the degradation products. Nowadays, data generated by state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry experiments yield important information about intricate structural features of polysaccharides and are thus key tools in our research. Polysaccharides do not share the almost conserved structural nature of oligonucleotides or peptides, and although we base our initial approach on the typical framework of carbohydrate structures, it is important to realize that every polysaccharide requires a different approach in order for its fine structure to be elucidated. In particular, microbes possess the ability to synthesize branched heteropolysaccharides often containing previously unknown sugars of unusual configurations. Accordingly, the exploration of new methodology for polysaccharide analysis is a complementary branch of our research program. Our structural findings will form the basis for future studies dealing with the biochemical function of microbial polysaccharides and will form the core for new anti-microbial carbohydrate-based vaccines.