Latest research: diversity of the glycans in mice decrypted
Latest research: diversity of the glycans in mice decrypted
The world of glycans, the important carbohydrates in our body, has recently experienced a comprehensive scientific examination. An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Natural Research Vienna (Boku), the Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna) and the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) has published a pioneering study in the Nature Communications specialist journal about the structural differences of these decisive biomolecules.
glycans are responsible for communication between cells and the regulation of essential biological processes. In order to understand how these glycans vary between different organs such as liver and brain, a new approach was developed that not only makes the diversity of the glycans visible, but also accelerates the analysis. Research focused on mice as a model system and examined 20 different fabrics to capture the scattered data about glycosylation patterns.
Innovative approaches to data evaluation
The initially unforeseen amounts of data led to the need to develop a new method of data evaluation. As Stefan Mereiter from Meduni Vienna explains, the researchers managed to handle a previously months -long process within a few weeks. With this new methodology, the scientists were able to automatically identify unexpected glycan structures, which revolutionizes the analysis.
"The knowledge of glycanes are crucial to decipher the complex biological systems," mentioned Johannes Stadlmann from the BOKU Institute of Biochemistry. This detailed mapping of the glycans represents the most comprehensive collection so far and shows that each tissue has specific and unique glycosylation patterns. This variety is crucial to better understand the differences between the organs.
The discoveries related to glycankets that can only be found in the brain are particularly remarkable. According to Stadlmann, these structures could provide important insights into the functioning of the brain and its specific needs. In summary, it can be said that the work of the international research team has set milestones in glycan analysis. The molecular diversity contained could not only revolutionize our understanding of glycobiology, but also be groundbreaking for future biomedical research. Details on the comprehensive study can be found in the publication "Non-Targeted N-GlyCome Profiling Reveals Multiple Layers of Organ-Specific Diversity in MICE" that can be found via Doi is accessible.For further information, scientific contact, Ass. Prof. DI Dr. Johannes Stadlmann, under J.Stadlmann (at) boku.ac.at or by phone at +43 1 47654-77256.