Glycoproteins are currently receiving increasing attention because of those of central role in biological processes, especially recognition. These ubiquitous sustances have been implicated in many important biological functions: e.g., a role in differentiation, growth, intercellular recognition, control of glycoprotein uptake by cells, export of synthesize proteins, control of the lifetime of glycoproteins in the circulating systems of higher animals and specification of the human blood types. Found on cell surfaces, they play a critical role in the interaction between cells and the response of cells to the external environment which may contain biologically active substances. The permeability of the cell surface is partially affected by the glyco moeity, thus indirectly regulating the metabolism of the cell. There is still much to be learned about the conformation of glycopeptides and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is one of the simplest methods of choice. Dr. Fasman will synthesize glycosylated peptides in order to study the conformation of glycosylated regions of glycoproteins. The conformation of the synthetic glycopeptides will be studied by CD and then by NMR and Raman spectroscopy to determine the influence of the glycosylation on peptide conformation.
