Discover molecular pathways for marine glyco-Carbon sequestration

Introduction

The scientific frontier project C-Quest will study algal sugar polymers - glycans - in the ocean to resolve their contribution to global carbon cycling and sequestration.

Hypothesis Exploration

C-Quest will explore the hypothesis that marine diatoms, which fix similar amounts of carbon as tropical forests on a global scale, secrete glycan types that are stable, meaning harder to degrade for bacteria than other substrates. This stability results in glyco-carbon sequestration, removing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Analytical Challenges

C-Quest will identify and quantify glycan structural types in seawater, where salt, low glycan concentration, and their high molecular diversity challenge classic analytical techniques.

Previous Work

With two articles in PNAS (2020) and Nature Communications (2021), implementing bioanalytical strategies to measure glycans in the ocean, we broke through the glyco-carbon challenge, setting the stage for testing the glyco-carbon sequestration hypothesis.

Enzymatic Pathways

In the test tube, my team will reveal marine bacterial enzymatic degradation pathways that degrade diatom glycans. Our characterized enzymes will become analytical tools to identify and quantify these glycans across the ocean.

Quantification Efforts

In different oceanic regions, we will:

1. Quantify glycan production during algal blooms.
2. Measure glycan export in sinking particles.
3. Assess glycan burial in sediments to pinpoint the types that have a high potential to sequester carbon.

Expected Outcomes

The outcome will be knowledge of glycan contribution to carbon sequestration, shedding light into what remains a black box of the global carbon cycle to this day.

Scientific Discoveries

C-Quest will discover enzymes new to science, explore the potential of glycans for carbon sequestration, and reveal molecular principles that govern carbon sequestration in and beyond the ocean.