Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL FOR PUBLIC RELEASE (Use plain language.) Version française disponible Lactic acid bacteria produce glycans by intracellular glycosyltransferases, extracellular glycansucrases (e.g. dextransucrase), or retaining disaccharide hydrolases (e.g. beta-galactosidase). High glycan yields are obtained particularly from glycansucrases, or disaccharide hydrolases. Taken together, bacterial glycansucrases, disaccharide hydrolases, and glycosyltransferases synthesize hetero- and homopolysaccharides and oligosaccharides with a high degree of diversity in monomer composition, polymer length, linkage type, and branching to extend the spectrum of potential functional properties. Although some of the glycans were demonstrated to prevent adhesion of individual pathogens, a more comprehensive and strategic approach is required to fully exploit the biodiversity of glycans produced by food-grade lactic acid bacteria for novel applications. This proposal addresses this need by development of highly diverse glycan libraries through combined use of a variety of glycansucrases and glycosyl-hydrolases, and bioassay-guided fractionation of glycan mixtures preventing adhesion of one or several pathogens to eukaryotic cells, and by validation of beneficial effects of selected glycans in suitable animal models.