Carbohydrates are present in the membranes of all vertebrate cells. Complex carbohydrates,
glycans, are known to be involved in various diseases, such as infectious diseases and cancer.
Lectins are a family of carbohydrate-recognizing proteins having essential roles in many key
biological processes. To address questions pertaining to the mechanisms mediating
recognition of carbohydrates by lectins we investigate into atomic interactions between
glycans and galectin-3 as well as rotavirus carbohydrate-recognizing protein VP8*. A focus
of this research is to discover roles of carbohydrates in lectin-related pathological processes
and with that knowledge to develop new drugs and vaccines which will interfere with the
biological process of disease. Heparanase is an endo-b-glucuronidase capable of degrading
heparan sulfate, thus contributing to the remodelling of the extracellular matrix. Of
significance is that heparanase activity is inextricably associated with tumour metastasis and
angiogenesis, which makes heparanase a valuable therapeutic target in fight against cancer.
Functional and structural characterization of this enzyme will provides some insights into its
catalytic mechanism, and offers opportunities for inhibitor development.

报告人：余星博士，毕业于澳大利亚格林菲斯大学，现为格林菲斯大学糖组学研究所研究员。
主要研究方向是通过晶体结构解析来探讨蛋白分子在疾病发生和发展中的相关机制，
从而对新型药物和疫苗的生产起到一定的指导作用。

讲座时间：2016年10月26日14：30-15:30

讲座地点：药学院426学术报告厅