Wang, Peng George

Peng (George) Wang
Professor and Ohio Eminent Scholar in Macromolecular Structure-Function
Phone: (614) 292-9884
Fax: (614) 688-3106
Email: wang.892@osu.edu or pgwang@chemistry.ohio-state.edu

Research Interests
The focus of Professor Wang’s research is on synthetic organic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry and biochemistry. Combining modern organic synthesis with the latest discoveries in biology, we have been undertaking research programs on natural product synthesis, on reactive nitrogen species, on synthetic methodology development, and on biosynthetic pathway engineering.

Our total synthesis of natural products especially biomedically important products containing carbohydrates relies on the use of novel organic transformation (such as new orgometallic reagents) and of enzymatic synthesis. One large class of natural products of interests is carbohydrate-containing structures involved in human immunology. One such sequence is two galactoses linked by alpha 1,3-glycosidic bond (called a-Gal epitope) which is involved in hyperacute rejection in animal-to-human xenotransplantation. We hope that our work on the synthesis of a-Gal-containing glycoconjugates including a-Gal epitopes, its multivalent derivatives and a-Gal sugar mimetic libraries through combinatorial strategies will result in broad biomedical applications.

Another of our current targets is saccharomicins, a new class of antibiotics that contains 17 uncommon monosaccharide units. Its total synthesis involves development of feasible synthetic strategies for constructing a variety of uncommon sugars and for stereospecifically linking two hindered sugars together.

Reactive nitrogen species such as nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite play important roles in numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes. Our research focus in this area is to design and synthesize a variety of NO donor compounds which can deliver NO at the specific time and place to evoke biological functions. One class of such novel NO donors is sugar-NO-donor conjugates. Our working hypothesis is that the sugar-NO conjugates will be accumulated by tumor cells according to the distribution of sugar transporter proteins so that greater cytotoxicity and modulating activity will be achieved. We also design and synthesize inhibitors for cysteine-dependent enzymes such as proteases and proten-tyrosine-phosphatases based on NO-mediated S-nitrosation mechanism.

Recently we have initiated a genome-based program aiming at producing a variety of complex natural products through fermentation of bioengineered microorganisms. The research first involves finding and cloning of each individual enzyme from various genomic databases along the biosynthetic pathway of a natural product such as an important carbohydrate structure. Then the genes of all necessary biosynthetic enzymes are reassembled into a gene cluster. This natural product biosynthetic gene cluster is transformed into E. coli to make a “superbug” which can produce the natural product and its derivatives cost effectively through fermentation.

Selected Publications
Li R, Chen Q, Wang, P. G., Qi Q. (2007) "A novel-designed Escherichia coli for the production of various polyhydroxyalkanoates from inexpensive substrate mixture." Appl Microbiol Biotechnol [Epub ahead of print]

Shen Z, Huang M, Xiao C, Zhang Y, Zeng X, Wang, P. G. (2007) "Nonlabeled Quartz Crystal Microbalance Biosensor for Bacterial Detection Using Carbohydrate and Lectin Recognitions." Anal Chem [Epub ahead of print]

Wang S, Wang, P. G., Qi Q. (2007) "Influence of substrate conformation on the deglycosylation of ribonuclease B by recombinant yeast peptide:N-glycanase." Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 39(1), 8-14.

Huang GL, Mei XY, Zhang HC, Wang, P. G. (2006) "A new fermentation process allows large-scale production of tetra-N-acetyl-chitotetraosyl allosamizoline." J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 21(5), 597-9.

Huang GL, Mei XY, Zhang HX, Wang, P. G. (2006) "Fabrication and application of carbohydrate microarray for analyzing human serum antibody-carbohydrate interaction." Appl Microbiol Biotechnol [Epub ahead of print]

Xia C, Zhou D, Liu C, Lou Y, Yao Q, Zhang W, Wang, P. G. (2006) "Thio-isoglobotrihexosylceramide, an agonist for activating invariant natural killer T cells." Org Lett. 8(24), 5493-6.

Guo H, Li L, Wang, P. G. (2006) "Biochemical characterization of UDP-GlcNAc/Glc 4-epimerase from Escherichia coli O86:B7." Biochemistry 45(46), 13760-8.

Zhang Y, Yao Q, Xia C, Jiang X, Wang, P. G. (2006) "Trapping norovirus by glycosylated hydrogels: a potential oral antiviral drug." Chem Med Chem 1(12), 1361-6.

Fang L, Battisti RF, Cheng H, Reigan P, Xin Y, Shen J, Ross D, Chan KK, Martin EW Jr, Wang, P. G., Sun D. (2006) "Enzyme specific activation of benzoquinone ansamycin prodrugs using HuCC49DeltaCH2-beta-galactosidase conjugates." J Med Chem 49(21), 6290-7.

Zhang HC, Bi JY, Chen C, Huang GL, Qi QS, Xiao M, Wang, P. G. (2006) "Immobilization of UDP-galactose 4-epimerase from Escherichia coli on the yeast cell surface." Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 70(9), 2303-6.