Xu Wang is an associate professor in the School of Molecular Sciences. His research interests are in studies of biophysical and biochemical mechanisms of cellular processes, especially those involving complex carbohydrates.
Professor Wang received his B.S. and Ph. D. from University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. His graduate study focused on elucidating proteins’ interactions with small ligands using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). After graduating, he continued his training at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center in Athens, Georgia under Dr. James H. Prestegard. During this time, he became interested in biological phenomena involving glycans. In 2011, Dr. Wang joined the School of Molecular Sciences as an assistant professor and continued his work in studying the role of glycans in biology. The current focus of research is in understanding how proteins’ interact with and recognize the polysaccharide glycosaminoglycan, and how these interactions lead to changes in the cellular machinery that underlie important processes such as inflammation, blood coagulation and stem cell maintenance.
Generally speaking, my research focuses on understanding important biological phenomena that involve interactions between complex carbohydrates ("sugars") and proteins. Complex carbohydrates form the outer coating of most cells and their interactions with proteins have been increasingly recognized as important modulators in critical events such as cancer cell metastasis, leukocyte activation and stem cell differentiations, just to name a few. My goal is to understand how carbohydrates control these phenomena and how to manipulate these carbohydrate-protein interactions for the benefit of human health.
A particular species of carbohydrates I am interested in is a class of sulfated polysaccharides known as glycosaminoglyans (GAGs). These highly charged molecules bind a host of important targets including growth factors, signaling cytokines and numerous enzymes and lectins. They have been implicated in diseases such as cancer, diabetes, thrombosis, Alzheimer's disease and many types of microbial infections. Despite their importance, very little is known about underlying principles controlling their specificity for proteins. My goal is to study the detailed structural interactions between GAGs and their target proteins using various biophysical techniques, with the final aim being the design of GAG mimics that can inhibit specifically GAG-protein interactions. In particular, I want to focus on determining whether carbohydrate type, sulfation configuration as well as dynamics of the protein side chains have any bearing on the specificity of GAG-protein interactions.
My laboratory uses may analytical and biophysical techniques, but the main technique is solution NMR spectroscopy. NMR is a powerful, versatile tool that can be used to probe many systems. I am interested in developing novel NMR techniques to study GAG-protein interactions, especially techniques capable of detecting intermolecular electrostatic interactions. I am also interested in improving present methodologies for purifying structurally homogeneous GAG oligomers through chemical and enzymatic derivatizations as well as producing GAG oligomers labeled with fluorescent, paramagnetic and isotopic tags for use in traditional as well as high-through put investigations.
Spring 2022 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
BCH 361 | Principles of Biochemistry |
MBB 493 | Honors Thesis |
BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
Fall 2021 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
BCH 361 | Principles of Biochemistry |
MBB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
Spring 2021 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
BCH 361 | Principles of Biochemistry |
MBB 493 | Honors Thesis |
BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
Fall 2020 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BCH 494 | Special Topics |
BCH 598 | Special Topics |
Spring 2020 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 493 | Honors Thesis |
BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
BCH 494 | Special Topics |
BCH 598 | Special Topics |
Fall 2019 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
Spring 2019 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 493 | Honors Thesis |
BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
Fall 2018 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
BCH 361 | Principles of Biochemistry |
MBB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
Spring 2018 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
BCH 361 | Principles of Biochemistry |
BIO 493 | Honors Thesis |
MBB 493 | Honors Thesis |
BCH 494 | Special Topics |
Fall 2017 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BIO 492 | Honors Directed Study |
BCH 494 | Special Topics |