Cell surface glycans play critical roles in regulating extracellular signaling in embryonic differentiation and tissue development. Glycosaminoglycans (GAG), which are polysaccharides displayed on membrane-associated proteoglycans, present domains of increased sulfation that serve as high affinity binding sites for a variety of growth factors and chemokines and, in many instances, are required to activate cognate receptors at the cell surface. We have pursued biomaterials that mimic the architecture and function of heparan sulfate (HS) GAGs that can be used to augment the glycocalyx of progenitor cells to control growth factor association and signaling and, in turn, influence cellular differentiation. This presentation honoring the winner of the 2022 CARB Division Gin Young Investigator Award, Professor Mia Huang, will highlight her early contributions toward developing glycocalyx engineering methods for applications in stem cell biology. The talk will also introduce recent advances toward enhancing growth factor-binding specificity, functionality, and cell-targeting capabilities of GAG-mimetic materials by leveraging recombinant HS structures produced in genetically engineered glycosylation mutants merged with synthetic polymers, proteins, and DNA aptamers.

Harnessing the cellular glycocalyx to control stem cell fate

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