Breaking it down: Dissecting the mechanism and exploring new inhibition strategies for polysaccharide cleaving enzymes

甘露糖是一种常见的碳水化合物结构单元，存在于多种复杂的多糖中，包括能量储存聚合物和与蛋白质连接的聚糖。降解这些富含甘露糖的聚合物的酶，称为甘露聚糖酶，在生物燃料生产和人类健康和疾病中很重要。该项目将研究一系列甘露聚糖酶，以化学和结构确定其机制，并建立策略，以干预甘露聚糖酶特异性疾病过程。这项工作将为未来生物技术和工业应用（包括可持续化学制造）设计新酶的战略提供信息，并支持治疗真菌感染和癌症的创新药物的开发。

Mannose, a common carbohydrate building block, is present in a wide variety of complex polysaccharides including energy storage polymers and glycans attached to proteins. The enzymes that degrade these mannose-rich polymers, termed mannosidases, are important in biofuel production and human health and disease. This project will study a range of mannosidases to chemically and structurally define their mechanisms and establish strategies to allow intervention in mannosidase-specific disease processes. This work will inform strategies to engineer new enzymes for future biotechnology and industrial applications including sustainable chemical manufacturing, and underpin the development of innovative drugs for treating fungal infections and cancer.