The SHARPSYN project at DTU Chemistry aims to improve chemical tools for synthesis through research in one of nature's most complex sugar structures, Rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II).
The SHARPSYN project, led by Mads H. Clausen at DTU Chemistry, aims to improve the chemical synthesis tools by focusing on nature's most complex sugar, Rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II).
RG-II is found in the cell walls of plants and is the most complicated glycan in nature. The SHARPSYN project involves constructing all side chains of RG-II using advanced chemical synthesis methods.
The artificially produced glycan molecules will be used in biochemical and biological experiments in order to understand how the molecules function and interact with proteins, such as glycosyl hydrolases, which are involved in the breakdown of plant material/biomass. RG-II consists of 33 monosaccharides linked by 21 different bonds and has 10 branches.
The project is expected to have significant impact in the societal focus areas of health and sustainability due to the central role of glycans in biological processes.
See the grant at the Novo Nordisk foundation homepage