| Albersheim,
Peter |
E-mail:
palbersh@ccrc.uga.edu |
| Albersheim's
research investigates the interactions of plants and microbes
and the regulation of plant growth and development by determining
the structures and functions of biologically interesting complex
carbohydrates. Two complementary lines of inquiry are being
followed: structurally characterizing plant primary cell wall
carbohydrates and studying the regulatory functions of plant
carbohydrate signal molecules (called oligosaccharins), including
plant-microbe interaction. When plants and pathogens interact,
plants use multiple mechanisms to accumulate bioactive levels
of oligosaccharins and pathogens use corresponding mechanisms
to prevent signal molecules from accumulating. Because carbohydrates
are involved in most cell activities, understanding their structures
and functions is essential to many fields of basic research
and many industries, particularly biotechnology ventures. |
| Keywords:
complex carbohydrates, plant cell walls, oligosaccharins, biotechnology,
signal molecules, plant-microbe interaction, plant growth regulation,
structural characterization, bioactive molecules, fungal enzymes |
|
| Darvill,
Alan |
E-mail:
adarvill@ccrc.uga.edu |
| Darvill's
research focuses on structurally characterizing the five major
noncellulosic carbohydrates of plant primary cell walls homogalacturonan,
rhamnogalacturonan I and II, xyloglucan, and glucuronoarabinoxylan.
Plant primary cell walls control the rate and direction of cell
growth that determine ultimately the shapes of cells, tissues,
and organs; they form a barrier to pathogens, are the source
of oligosaccharins that elicit plant defense responses to pathogens,
and participate in controlling plant growth and development.
New analytical techniques are continually developed to isolate
and determine the complicated structures and functions of these
molecules. Interactions between wall-matrix polysaccharides
is being characterized by examining the cell-, tissue-, and
species-dependent expression of cell wall epitopes using well-characterized
monoclonal antibodies. |
| Keywords:
complex carbohydrates, plant primary cell walls, polysaccharides,
host-pathogen interactions, monoclonal antibodies, structural
characterization, oligosaccharins, cell wall matrix, xyloglucan,
homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan, glucuronoarabinoxylan |
|
| Orlando,
Ron |
E-mail:
orlando@ccrc.uga.edu |
| My
research focuses on the use of mass spectrometry to answer biological
/ biomedical questions. The majority of our projects involve
characterizing the post-translational modifications (e.g., glycosylation,
phosphorylation) present in the protein of interest. For example,
we are currently investigating the in vivo changes that occur
in human eye lenses upon normal aging and cataract formation.
We hope that this research ultimately will provide a mechanism
to prevent cataracts. We also conduct research into developing
new methodologies to increase the amount of information obtained
from these MS experiments and to reduce the quantity of material
needed for analysis. |
| Keywords:
mass spectrometry, MS, characterization of post-translational
modifications, protein glycosylation, proteomics, protein identification,
liquid chromatography, LC/MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption
/ ionization MS, MALDI-MS, MS/MS |
|
| Prestegard,
James H. |
E-mail:
jpresteg@ccrc.uga.edu |
| The
Prestegard group applies Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
to the investigation of structural and functional properties
of biologically important systems. Systems of interest include
carbohydrate binding proteins, metallo-proteins and membrane
associated proteins. These systems play important roles in cell
signalling, cell differentiation, and cell-cell interaction.
As such, they become targets for rational drug design. NMR provides
a useful tool for these investigations. However, NMR is also
an evolving tool, limited both by current experimental approaches
and data analysis procedures. To push back limits of applicability
the group also devotes considerable effort to method development. |
| Keywords:
NMR, carbohydrates, membrane proteins, structural genomics,
protein structure, protein dynamics, drug design |
|
| Tiemeyer, Michael |
E-mail: mtiemeyer@ccrc.uga.edu |
Specific cell surface oligosaccharides function as identity tags, allowing cells to appropriately interact with each other and with their environment. We utilize genetic, molecular, and chemical techniques in vertebrate (mouse) and insect (Drosophila) model systems to study two aspects of carbohydrate expression: 1) the influence of cell surface carbohydrates on development of the nervous system, 2) mechanisms that control tissue- and stage-specific oligosaccharide expression. Our results have implications for facilitating regeneration of axon pathways in the nervous system, for understanding innate immunity and tissue surveillance, and for controlling the cellular changes that precede tumor metastasis. |
| Keywords:glycosylation, N-linked oligosaccharides, glycosphingolipid, Drosophila, Toll-like receptor, neural development |
|
| Woods,
Robert J. |
E-mail:
rwoods@ccrc.uga.edu |
| The
focus of my group's research is to examine the relationships
between carbohydrate conformation and biological recognition
and activity. We are particularly interested in the mechanisms
of carbohydrate recognition in the immune system. Current research
projects include examinations of bacterial antigen-antibody
interactions, as well as other carbohydrate-protein interactions.
The carbohydrate antigens associated with bacteria, such as
Salmonella paratyphi B and group B Streptococcus are being studied
in order to quantify the contributions made by hydrophobic and
hydrophilic interactions. In conjunction with experimental methods
(NMR and X-ray), we apply molecular dynamics simulations with
the GLYCAM parameters and the AMBER force field. |
| Keywords:
Molecular Dynamics, Molecular Modeling, Computational Simulation,
Carbohydrate Conformation, Carbohydrate Recognition, Glycoproteins,
GLYCAM, AMBER, NMR, X-ray Crystallography |
|
| York,
William S. |
E-mail:
will@ccrc.uga.edu |
| The
"primary" cell wall, which surrounds growing plant cells, plays
a key role in plant development. One of its most important functions
is to control the rate and orientation of cell expansion. Polysaccharide
networks in the wall expand by gradually yielding under osmotic
stress, allowing the cell to grow in a controlled, oriented
fashion. This process determines the morphology of each cell,
which ultimately determines the shape of the entire plant. Research
in my laboratory is aimed at characterizing the molecular dynamics
and topology that lead to the assembly and controlled expansion
of the cell wall. |
| Keywords:
Plant Cell Walls, Xyloglucan, Polysaccharides, NMR, Molecular
Dynamics, Plant Growth, Self Assembly |
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