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--></style><title>Fwd: seeking more students for
7.345</title></head><body>
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<div>The instructor for 7.345 The Chemistry and Biology of
Carbohydrates (one of the advanced undergraduate seminars) is seeking
a few more students to enroll in the course. A description of
the course is below; a flyer is attached as well. The
prerequisite for the advanced undergraduate seminars is 7.03, 7.05,
7.06,<b> or</b> 7.28.</div>
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<div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000"><b>7.345
The Chemistry and Biology of Carbohydrates, Key Molecules of Life<br>
</b>Fall 2003. Wednesdays, 3-5 pm. Room 68-151.</font></div>
<div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000">Instructor:
Kuberan Balagurunathan (<u>kuby@mit.edu</u>, 3-8803; laboratory of
Robert Rosenberg)</font><br>
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<div><font face="Helvetica" size="+2" color="#000000">Carbohydrates
differ from other biological polymers, such as nucleic acids and
proteins, in many ways. Most importantly, they have different
functional groups that provide almost unlimited variations in their
structures. Carbohydrates that are conjugated to proteins or
lipids are termed glycoconjugates. They decorate the outer
surface of mammalian cells. Their strategic location enables
them to regulate many important biological processes, including
fertilization, cell growth, cell-cell adhesion, cell-cell
communication, development, immune defense, viral and parasitic
infection, degradation of blood clots, inflammation etc.
Furthermore, alterations in the synthesis or catabolism of
cell-surface carbohydrates are associated with various pathological
conditions, including malignant transformations and congenital and
neurological disorders. Deciphering the enigmatic structures of
carbohydrates and understanding their biosynthetic/catabolic pathways
are critical for the development of carbohydrate-based therapeutics.
In this course, we will discuss the tools available to characterize
carbohydrate structures, methods to synthesize carbohydrates, the
biosynthesis and catabolism of carbohydrates, and the role of
carbohydrates in human diseases and developmental disorders such as
cancer, congenital defects, and Sanfilippo disease.</font><br>
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