The view from the surface of a cell reveals a complex collection of membrane-associated proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. These cell-surface molecules can function as remarkable conduits of information. They have the critical role of reporting to the interior on extracellular conditions (e.g., presence of nutrients, toxins, signals from other cells, etc). Evidence is emerging that the carbohydrate coat of the cell functions in this kind of information transfer. For example, the immune system uses the identity of the carbohydrates displayed on invader cells or self cells as signals to elicit immunity or tolerance. In addition, the carbohydrate coats of tumor cells and pluripotent stem cells are reporters of the cell state. This presentation will focus on employing synthetic ligands, especially multivalent ligands, to explore and exploit protein�carbohydrate interactions to elicit specific cellular responses.

Exploiting protein–carbohydrate interactions to control signaling

244th National Meeting (2012)

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