Barrier functions of the sugary cell coat: Understanding how extracellular signalling proteins and bacterial toxins navigate the cell surface

Virtually every cell in the human body is surrounded by a carbohydrate-rich coat called the glycocalyx. The glycocalyx has been implicated in a variety of fundamental molecular and cellular processes including its ability to guide cell communication and behaviour by modulating the access of the extracellular signalling proteins, such as chemokines, to the cell surface. It also plays an important protective role as a barrier against pathogens, yet some bacterial toxins and viruses exploit the glycocalyx to gain entry to the host cells. Despite the omnipresence of the glycocalyx in the human body and its functional importance, its role has been elusive owing to the incredible complexity and hence overlooked as the tools for its investigation were missing.
The biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of selective binding and transport of proteins and pathogens within the glycocalyx remain poorly understood. In this project, we are aiming to develop a mechanistic understanding of molecular diffusion within the glycocalyx by developing experimental glycocalyx models and new methods to probe the selective transport across the glycocalyx in molecular detail. The results of this project will provide new tools to further our fundamental understanding of glycocalyx functions that may in the future help tackling infectious diseases and control immune responses.