Project Details
Projekt
From synthetic chitin oligomers to well-defined chitin-based materials
Applicant
Dr. Martina Delbianco
Subject Area
Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
Analytical Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Term
since 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 525734226
To break the CodeX and investigate chitooligosaccharides (COS) structure-function relationships, it is essential to start from well-defined samples. In an increasing order of complexity, we will prepare 1) synthetic COS with well-defined chemical composition, and 2) nanomaterials formed from the assembly of synthetic COS. The synthetic approach will grant full control over the chemical composition of the target COS structures and will allow us to insert chemical modifications to help the systematic characterization of COS-protein interactions. Similarly, the use of synthetic well-defined COS to assemble nanomaterials will shine light on the chemical aspects that guide chitin assembly and the interaction of chitin materials with proteins. Thus, our samples will be extremely valuable for the consortium to understand how CodeX regulates different aspects of biology and materials science. This project will combine the unique expertise of the Delbianco group at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPI-CI) and the Ogawa group at the Centre de recherches sur les macromolécules végétales (CERMAV). Using automated glycan assembly (AGA), we will prepare well-defined COS with tunable length, acetylation pattern, and modifications (Delbianco’s expertise). These oligomers will be assembled into nano-materials that we will study with cryoEM (Ogawa’s expertise). The bottom-up approach will allow us to elucidate how the molecular composition of the single COS oligomers affects the material aggregation behavior, chirality, and interaction with proteins. This knowledge will expand our understanding of chitin, providing essential guidelines for the generation of well-defined chitin-based materials.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
