It is going to report the progress on the identification of the molecular targets, with which the aggregates of the saccharide containing small molecules (i.e. the conjugates of glycoside, amino acid, and necleobase) interact to promote cell proliferation. Exhibiting important biological functions, the aggregates of small molecules formed by self-assembly, are able to serve as functional molecular entities in cellular environment. While all the living cells are covered by complex array of glycans in forms of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, etc., carbohydrates are the most diverse and one of the most important classes of biomolecules in nature, which makes it an attractive candidate as bio-mimicking motif. However, the aggregates of saccharide containing small molecules have received little attention for years. We recently developed a simple way for generating saccharide containing small molecules, which can self-assembly in water to give aggregates in the form of nanofibers or nanoparticles. Unexpectedly, this kind of aggregates was able to act as a growth factor to promote cell proliferation. Further study suggested indispensable function of the saccharide, as removing it from the hybrid put the aggregates out of action. Protein binding and profiling assays were conducted in order to identify the unknown molecular targets, and our study showed that the proliferation-promoting effect may result from its interaction with pyruvate kinase isozyme 2(PKM2).

Aggregates of multifunctional saccharide containing small molecules stimulate cell proliferation: Target identification and mechanism exploration

248th National Meeting (2014)

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