Mechanism-Based Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry

这项提案中概述的研究涉及碳水化合物(糖)化学的两个主要领域。我们计划研究碳水化合物生物反应的基本方面，以及它们如何偏离水中的相应反应。生物体是复杂的实体，其生存依赖于代谢(分解)各种饮食营养的能力。新陈代谢有两个不同的阶段：(1)产生能量的分解代谢过程，涉及碳水化合物、蛋白质和脂肪等复杂食物来源的降解，以产生更简单的分子；(2)合成代谢，这一阶段与自然过程有关，在这个过程中，简单的成分，如葡萄糖，被用来形成更复杂的分子，这是有机体生长和生存所必需的。这两种代谢途径使用的酶要么是降解型反应所特有的，要么是在导致复杂分子组装的反应中发挥作用的酶。

The research outlined in this proposal involves two main areas of carbohydrate (sugar) chemistry. We plan to investigate the fundamental aspects of the biological reactions of carbohydrates and how they deviate from the corresponding reactions in water. Organisms are complex entities whose very existence depends on the ability to metabolize (breakdown) various dietary nutrients. Two distinct phases of metabolism exist: (1) energy-yielding catabolic processes that involve the degradation of complex food sources such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to produce simpler molecules; and (2) anabolism, that phase that is concerned with natural processes in which simple components, such as glucose are used to form more complex molecules that are required for the growth and survival of an organism. These two types of metabolic pathways employ enzymes that are either specific for degradation-type reactions, or that function in reactions which lead to the assembly of complex molecules.