This award provides funds for research and research training in the application of mass spectrometry to the analysis of polysaccharides and the carbohydrate portions of glycolipids and proteoglycans. Research trainees will participate in a variety of projects dealing with macromolecules of biological interest from animal, plant and microbial sources. Development of new techniques in mass spectroscopy relevant to analysis of glycans will form an integral part of the activities envisioned. In recent years, there has been growing interest understanding the structure of polysacharrides in bacterial and plant cell walls and to the analysis of the oligosaccharide moieties commonly found on a variety of cellular and extracellular macromolecules. While traditional methods of chemicals analysis have remained tedious, mass spectrometry has made it increasingly the method of choice for the analysis of such glycans. This award recognizes the need for more investigators skilled in the use of mass spectrometry in this area, and for the continued development of the techniques necessary for analysis of glycans.
