Scientists develop method to deliver sugars directly into cells
Sugars, or glycans, play a crucial role in biology—from cell signaling and recognition to interactions with pathogens. Changes in glycosylation are also associated with diseases including cancer. But studying glycans poses a major challenge: because many glycans are highly water-soluble, or hydrophilic, they cannot easily cross the cell membrane and must be modified with a hydrophobic moiety—a…
Scientists have created a novel method that allows sugars, known as glycans, to be delivered directly into mammalian cells without the use of toxic organic solvents. Glycans are essential molecules involved in various biological processes, including cell signaling and immune response. However, their water-soluble nature poses a challenge as they cannot easily pass through the cell membrane.
Professor Matthew Gibson and his team have developed a new technique using a superchaotropic nanostructure made of boron to transport these hydrophilic sugars directly into cells. This method eliminates the need for potentially harmful solvents like dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and enables researchers to study glycans in their natural environment.
The sugars are metabolized once inside the cell, allowing scientists to edit the cell surface and investigate glycoRNA, a recently discovered RNA molecule associated with glycans. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize glycobiology, cell-surface engineering, and related fields such as autophagy, cryobiology, and infection research.
Further research will focus on enhancing the delivery capacity of this technique to match existing acetylation-based methods.
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