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About

Our lab studies the glycobiology of human diseases and works towards the development of new therapeutics.

We have adopted an interdisciplinary approach to disease research, from cell biology to protein expression and chemical synthesis. Our research is bolstered by close collaborations with leading scientists in the institute, across Australia and abroad.

We provide an excellent interdisciplinary training environment for students and postdoctoral researchers alike. Modern molecular biology and chemical biology techniques are used to study and prosecute novel disease targets.

Typical lab activities involve:

  • recombinant expression of target proteins (E. coli, yeast, insect cells, mammalian cells)
  • target assay development and screening for drug-like molecules
  • chemical synthesis of probe and drug-like molecules
  • genetic manipulation of cell lines for target validation
  • metabolic labelling, isolation and characterisation of glycans

Publications

Selected publications from Prof Ethan Goddard

Lopaticki S, McConville R, John A, Geoghegan N, Mohamed SD, Verzier L, et al. Goddard-Borger ED*, Boddey JA*. Tryptophan C-mannosylation is critical for Plasmodium falciparum transmission. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):4400. PMID: 35906227

Sharma M, Lingford JP, Petricevic M, Snow AJD, Zhang Y, Järvå MA, Mui JW-Y, Scott NE, Saunders EC, Mao R, Epa R, da Silva BM, Pires DEV, Ascher DB, McConville MJ, Davies GJ*, Williams SJ*, Goddard-Borger ED*. Oxidative desulfurization pathway for complete catabolism of sulfoquinovose by bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(4), e2116022119. PMID: 35074914

John A, Järvå MA, Shah S, Mao R, Chappaz S, Birkinshaw RW, Czabotar PE, Lo AW, Scott NE, Goddard-Borger ED*. Yeast- and antibody-based tools for studying tryptophan C-mannosylation. Nat Chem Biol. 2021;17(4):428-37. PMID: 3354253

Mao R, Xi S, Shah S, Roy MJ, John A, Lingford JP, Gäde G, Scott NE, Goddard-Borger ED*. Synthesis of C-Mannosylated Glycopeptides Enabled by Ni-Catalyzed Photoreductive Cross-Coupling Reactions. J Am Chem Soc. 2021;143(32):12699-707. PMID: 34346681

Järvå MA, Lingford JP, John A, Soler NM, Scott NE, Goddard-Borger ED*. Trefoil factors share a lectin activity that defines their role in mucus. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):2265. PMID: 32404934

Järvå MA, Dramicanin M, Lingford JP, Mao R, John A, Jarman KE, Grinter R, Goddard-Borger ED*. Structural basis of substrate recognition and catalysis by fucosyltransferase 8. J Biol Chem. 2020;295(19):6677-88. PMID: 32220931.

Khurana S, Coffey MJ, John A, Uboldi AD, Huynh MH, Stewart RJ, Carruthers VB, Tonkin CJ*, Goddard-Borger ED*, Scott NE*. Protein O-fucosyltransferase 2-mediated O-glycosylation of the adhesin MIC2 is dispensable for Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite infection. J Biol Chem. 2019;294(5):1541-53. PMID: 30514763.

Abayakoon P, Jin Y, Lingford JP, Petricevic M, John A, Ryan E, Mui JW-Y, Pires DV, Ascher DB, Davies GJ*, Goddard-Borger ED*, Williams SJ*. Structural and Biochemical Insights into the Function and Evolution of Sulfoquinovosidases. ACS Cent Sci. 2018;4(9):1266-73. PMID: 30276262

Lopaticki S, Yang ASP, John A, Scott NE, Lingford JP, O’Neill MT, Erickson SM, McKenzie NC, Jennison C, Whitehead LW, Douglas DN, Kneteman NM, Goddard-Borger ED, Boddey JA. Protein O-fucosylation in Plasmodium falciparum ensures efficient infection of mosquito and vertebrate hosts. Nat Commun. 2017, 8(1):561. PMID: 28916755

Speciale G, Jin Y, Davies GJ, Williams SJ, Goddard-Borger ED. YihQ is a sulfoquinovosidase that cleaves sulfoquinovosyl diacylglyceride sulfolipids. Nat Chem Biol. 2016 Apr;12(4):215-7 PMID: 26878550

Lab research projects

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