Bacteria surround themselves with a protective polymer called peptidoglycan.  The human innate immune system uses fragments of this polymer to generate the initial immune response.  In order to better understand the biology and the diseases of this recognition event, we have designed syntheses of small carbohydrate probes of bacterial peptidoglycan.  In addition, we have learned how to express and purify critical innate immune proteins (Nod2 and Nod1) that are responsible for the detection.   Finally, we have developed methodology to metabolically label this polymer on the carbohydrate core.   Combining these various tools, we have made critical steps to understand how this polymer is processed and sensed by the innate immune system.   <br/>

Chemical tools for probing bacterial peptidoglycan activation of the innate immune system

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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