Molecular models and chemistry

Synthetic organic chemistry: chemical synthesis and structural characterization of nucleosides, nucleotides and carbohydrates. Organic chemistry at the interface to biology, e.g. chemical synthesis of complex oligosaccharides for use in biochemical studies of starch biosynthesis and degradation and/or chemical synthesis of oligosaccharides for gene discovery in the bioactive plant glycopolymer biosynthesis and cyanogenic glucosides and intermediates in their formation.

 

 

 

Selected publications

The hydration of the amylopectin branch point. Evidence of restricted conformational diversity of the a-(1→6) linkage, Francisco Corzana, Mohammed S. Motawia, Catherine Hervé du Penhoat, Frans van den Berg, Andreas Blennow, Serge Perez and Søren B. Engelsen. Journal of American Chemical Sociaty 126, 13144-13155 (2004).

 

Chemical synthesis of a dual branched maltodecaose investigated as potential substrate for α-amylases, Iben Damager, Morten Tovborg Jensen, Carl Erik Olsen, Andreas Blennow, Birger Lindberg Møller, Birte Svensson and Mohammed Saddik Motawia.  ChemBioChem. 6,1224-1233 (2005).

 

Arabidopsis thaliana RGXT1 and RGXT2 encode Golgi-localized (1,3)-alpha-Dxylosyltransferases involved in the synthesis of pectic rhamnogalacturonan-II, JackEgelund, Bent Larsen Petersen, Mohammed Saddik Motawia, Iben Damager, Ahmed Faik, Carl Erik Olsen, Tadashi Ishii, Henrik Clausen, Peter Ulvskov, Naomi Geshi. Plant Cell 18 (10): 2593-2607 (2006)

 

Glucosinolate engineering identifies a -glutamyl peptidase, Fernando Geu-Flores, Morten Thrane Nielsen, Majse Nafisi, Morten Emil Møldrup, Carl Erik Olsen, Mohammed Saddik Motawia & Barbara Ann Halkier. Nature Chemical Biology 5, 575 - 577 (2009).

 

"First principles insight into the alpha-glucan structures of starch: their synthesis, conformation and hydration" Iben Damager, Søren Baling Engelsen, Andreas Blennow, Birger Lindberg Møller & Mohammed Saddik Motawia. Chemical Reviews 110, 2049-2080 (2010).