Ion-specific partition energies in a heparan sulfate glycocalyx model

Surface-tethered glycans form a layer that is often called the glycocalyx and is an evolutionarily-conserved feature in all animals. Animal pathogens routinely target the glycocalyx as it serves as the first protective barrier to cellular entry. For example, a macromolecular cell-surface glycan, heparan sulfate, has been shown to serve as a co-receptor with ACE-2 for the SARS COV-2 virus. Therapeutics and bioanalytical tools are being developed to study the glycocalyx, which require understanding complex ion-pairing processes of intrinsically-disordered multivalent biomolecules.