Excerpt

In order to realize the potential of glycoscience and glycomics to build on genomics and proteomics and forge major new roads of discovery, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences will convene an ad hoc committee to: Conduct an in-depth analysis of the current state of research in glycoscience and glycomics in the U.S.; Compare current U.S. and international research efforts in glycoscience; Discuss key challenges to the growth and development of the field of glycoscience and glycomics; Develop a roadmap with concrete research goals to significantly advance glycoscience and glycomics in the U.S., including the identification of metrics that may be used to help assess efforts to achieve these goals and objectives; and Articulate a unified vision for the field of glycoscience and glycomics.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON ASSESSING THE IMPORTANCE AND IMPACT OF GLYCOMICS AND GLYCOSCIENCES
• BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
• BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Summary
  • WHY GLYCOSCIENCE?
  • WHY NOW?
  • A CENTRAL FIELD WITH LINKS TO MANY DISCIPLINES
  • CONTRIBUTIONS TO IMPROVING HEALTH, DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ENERGY, AND CREATING NEW MATERIALS
  • A TOOLKIT THAT INCLUDES MANY COMPONENTS BUT THAT ALSO HAS KEY GAPS
  • OVERARCHING FINDINGS
  • A ROADMAP TO ADVANCE GLYCOSCIENCE
  • CONCLUSION
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE: THE CENTRALITY OF SUGARS
  • 1.2 GENES AND PROTEINS ARE NOT ENOUGH: THE RICH INFORMATION CONTENT OF GLYCANS
  • 1.3 HOW GLYCOSCIENCE BUILDS ON GENOMICS AND PROTEOMICS
  • 1.4 WHY NOW? THE CASE FOR CHANGE
  • 1.5 CHARGE TO THE COMMITTEE
  • 1.6 ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
• 2. The Landscape of Current Research in Glycoscience
  • 2.1 AN OVERVIEW OF GLYCOSCIENCE WORLDWIDE
  • 2.2 AN “OMICS” FIELD—GLYCOSCIENCE IN ITS INFANCY
  • 2.3 COMMON CONCERNS AMONG U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL GLYCOSCIENTISTS
  • 2.4 CONCLUSION
• 3. Glycoscience in Health, Energy, and Materials
  • 3.1 GLYCOSCIENCE AND HEALTH
  • 3.2 GLYCOSCIENCE AND ENERGY
  • 3.3 GLYCOSCIENCE AND MATERIALS
  • 3.4 SUMMARY
• 4. Examples of Outstanding Questions in Glycoscience
  • 4.1 WHAT ARE THE MECHANISMS AND ROLES OF GLYCAN DIVERSIFICATION IN EVOLUTION?
  • 4.2 HOW CAN SINGLE GLYCOFORMS AND POLYSACCHARIDES BE SYNTHESIZED AND HOW CAN SPECIFIC GLYCANS AT SPECIFIC SITES ON GLYCOPROTEINS BE MODIFIED?
  • 4.3 HOW DOES GLYCAN MICROHETEROGENEITY OCCUR, WHAT DOES IT DO, AND WHAT IS ITS IMPACT?
  • 4.4 WHAT ARE THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF INTACT GLYCOPROTEINS?
  • 4.5 HOW DOES NUCLEAR AND CYTOPLASMIC PROTEIN GLYCOSYLATION REGULATE CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY?
  • 4.6 HOW DOES THE GLYCOCALYX AFFECT THE ORGANIZATION OF MOLECULES ON THE CELL SURFACE?
  • 4.7 HOW CAN THE GLYCANS AND GLYCOPROTEINS ON A SINGLE CELL BE DETERMINED?
  • 4.8 WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF MICROBIAL AND HOST INTERACTIONS INVOLVING GLYCANS?
  • 4.9 HOW DO GLYCAN BINDING PROTEINS DECODE THE GLYCOME?
  • 4.10 HOW CAN PLANT RECALCITRANCE TO DEGRADATION BE UNDERSTOOD AND OVERCOME?
  • 4.11 HOW CAN SUGARS BE REASSEMBLED TO DEVELOP MATERIALS WITH TAILORED PROPERTIES AND FUNCTIONALITY?
  • 4.12 SUMMARY
• 5. The Toolkit of Glycoscience
  • 5.1 SYNTHESIS
  • 5.2 ANALYSIS
  • 5.3 COMPUTATIONAL MODELING
  • 5.4 GLYCOENZYMES
  • 5.5 SYSTEMS GLYCOBIOLOGY
  • 5.6 INFORMATICS AND DATABASES
  • 5.7 SUMMARY AND FINDINGS
• 6. Deciphering the Glycome for Human Health and Sustainability: Findings, Recommendations, and Roadmap
• References
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A Committee Member Biographies
  • Appendix B The Landscape of Current Research in Glycoscience: Additional Information
  • Appendix C Workshop on the Future of Glycoscience: Agenda and Participants
  • Appendix D Input Received Online and Through Other Data Gathering
  • Appendix E Glossary

This project was supported by the National Institutes of Health under contract N01-OD-4-2139, TO#251, the National Science Foundation under grant CHE-1138764, the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-SC0007069, the Food and Drug Administration under contract HHSF223200810020I, TO#HHSF22301023, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.