The dipteran glycan array project

Glycans cover the surfaces of all cells and vary between species. As insects are of developmental, biotechnological, agricultural and biomedical relevance, their glycans are of interest due to roles in morphogenesis and immunogenicity or their status as targets of toxins or lectins. With climate change, there is an increased geographical range for some insect agricultural pests or vectors of diseases. In this project, we will deal specifically with three dipteran species: the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans) and a mosquito (Aedes aegypti) the first is a model organism used in basic research, the second transmits sleeping sickness and the third various worm or viral diseases including Dengue fever. Based on previous work by us and others, we hypothesise that specific glycan structures of dipteran organisms are involved in (i) recognition by the mammalian immune system of dipteran-derived viruses, (ii) interactions between parasites and their insect hosts and (iii) innate functions such as immunity or development of the insect species itself. Thereby, by isolating glycans from natural sources or using chemical or enzymatic synthesis, we will prepare libraries of glycans which will then be printed in microarray format. Then these can be probed for interactions with carbohydrate-binding proteins such as lectins, pentraxins and antibodies. The project will deliver new information about dipteran glycomes and their interaction partners, thereby filling a major gap in the toolbox for invertebrate glycobiology.

Glycans cover the surfaces of all cells and vary between species. As insects are of developmental, biotechnological, agricultural and biomedical relevance, their glycans are of interest due to roles in morphogenesis and immunogenicity or their status as targets of toxins or lectins. With climate change, there is an increased geographical range for some insect agricultural pests or vectors of diseases. Based on previous work by us and others, we hypothesised that specific glycan structures of dipteran organisms are involved in (i) recognition by the mammalian immune system of dipteran-derived viruses, (ii) interactions between parasites and their insect hosts and (iii) innate functions such as immunity or development of the insect species itself. In this project, we dealt with a key dipteran species: the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), a model organism used in basic research. In addition, we examined the glycome of a lepidopteran (Bombyx mori) and finalised analyses of a nematode parasite (Trichuris suis), with which the lepidopteran shares some glycomic features. Zwitterionic glycans were found in all three species. We isolated glycans from natural sources, but complemented these with small oligosaccharides generated by chemical synthesis. Libraries of glycans were printed in microarray format in order to probe for interactions with carbohydrate-binding proteins such as lectins, pentraxins and antibodies. The project delivered new information about insect glycomes and is a stepping stone for further studies on the interaction partners of glycans, thereby filling a major gap in the toolbox for invertebrate glycobiology.