Carbohydrates are the most abundant biomolecules on Earth. Despite their physiological importance, the structural biology of glycans has significantly lagged behind that of proteins and nucleic acids. The crystal structure of the human glucose transporter GLUT3 bound to D-glucose at 1.5 Å resolution clearly demonstrates that the transporter can recognize both α- and β-anomers. This finding underscores the power of high-resolution structures in elucidating the stereochemistry of sugars. While cryo-EM has enabled the structural resolution of glycan chains that modify the extracellular surface of membrane proteins, it has largely been limited to a small number of sugar residues near the modification site and at moderate resolutions. We have been striving to solve high-resolution structures of full glycan chains with little success until recently. By establishing a new paradigm called CryoSeek, we have successfully resolved the high-resolution structures of numerous glycans with higher-order structural assemblies.

理学部1号館中央棟341号室

東京大学大学院理学系研究科・生物科学専攻・濡木理

 

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