Colloquium Talk

Prof. Carlito Lebrilla

University of California Davis

Department of Chemistry

Thursday, February 12, 2026

MoSE G011

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Title: New probes for revealing the protein interactome of the cell membrane and the effects of food in nutrition 

Abstract:

Cell–cell communication is fundamentally governed by the cell membrane, where the majority of surface proteins are extensively glycosylated. While traditional proteomics often focuses on polypeptide backbones, protein–protein interactions are frequently mediated or modulated by these glycan modifications. We present a novel approach using glycan-specific crosslinkers to capture and identify interactions occurring through glycan moieties. This methodology provides a highly specific and quantitative framework for determining which proteins are activated during essential cellular processes. By integrating liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS), our workflow successfully identifies the tripartite interface: the glycan, the source glycopeptide, and the corresponding peptide target. This platform offers a powerful tool for decoding the complex “sugar code” that regulates cellular signaling and adhesion. These probes are used to determine the incorporation of various saccharides in cell metabolism and the extensive interactions involved in glucose uptake and insulin signaling.

Bio:

Dr. Carlito B. Lebrilla is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Davis, with appointments in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine in the School of Medicine. He received his B.S. degree from the University of California, Irvine, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and an NSF–NATO Fellow at the Technical University of Berlin as well as a President’s Fellow. He has served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry. Dr. Lebrilla’s research is in analytical chemistry, with a focus on mass spectrometry and its applications to clinical glycomics and biofunctional foods. He has co-founded several start-up companies in the areas of bioactive foods and disease biomarkers and has published nearly 500 peer-reviewed articles. He is a member of the National Academy of Inventors and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His honors include the Field and Franklin Medal for outstanding contributions to mass spectrometry, the MCP Lectureship in Glycobiology, the UC Davis Outstanding Researcher Award, and the Innovator of the Year Award. Dr. Lebrilla is Co–Editor-in-Chief of Mass Spectrometry Reviews and serves on the editorial boards of several journals.