GLYCANS IN NEUROSCIENCE
Every cell is coated in a complex matrix of carbohydrates, called the glycocalyx, that facilitates its interactions with the environment. Neurons are no exception. The neuronal glycocalyx is highly enriched in negatively-charged sialic acid residues, and defects in glycosylation are associated with neurological deficits including seizures and psychomotor retardation. However, the functional role of these glycans in establishing and maintaining neuronal behavior is poorly understood. My research seeks to uncover how changes in sialylation state affect neuronal behavior in healthy and inflammatory conditions.
TOOL DEVELOPMENT
To study neuronal network behavior, my mentor Dr. Rishi Kulkarni and I have developed a powerful in vitro voltage imaging platform that allows the simultaneous recording of ensembles of neurons. By combining this platform with the arsenal of chemical and glycoproteomic tools available in the Bertozzi lab, we aim to answer long-standing questions at the glycobiology-neuroscience interface and create tools that are useful for the neuroscience community as a whole.
PUBLICATIONS
"Cancer." In Metabolism of Human Diseases: Organ Physiology and Pathophysiology
Zhang, X., Guo, X., Wang, C., Gowtham Baskaran, S., Wang, Y., Stine, Z., Dang, C.
Springer Nature, 2024. In review.
Microglia Mediate Contact-Independent Neuronal Network Remodeling via Secreted Neuraminidase-3 Associated with Extracellular Vesicles.
Delaveris CS, Wang CL, Riley NM, Li S, Kulkarni RU, Bertozzi CR
ACS Central Science, 2023. 9 (11), 2108-211. Link
Analyzing nested experimental designs—A user-friendly resampling method to determine experimental significance.
Kulkarni RU, Wang CL, Bertozzi CR
PLOS Computational Biology, 2022. 10.1371. Link
Subthreshold Voltage Analysis Demonstrates Neuronal Cell-Surface Sialic Acids Modulate Excitability and Network Integration.
Kulkarni RU, Wang CL, Bertozzi CR