  The fundamental chiral nature of the observed quarks and leptons and the
emergence of the gauge group itself are most puzzling aspects of the standard
model. Starting from general considerations of topological properties of gauge
field configurations in higher space-time dimensions, it is shown that the
existence of non-trivial structures in ten dimensions would determine a class
of models corresponding to a grand unified GUT structure with complex fermion
representations with respect to $ SU(3)_C \otimes SU(2)_L \otimes U(1)_Y$. The
discussion is carried out within the framework of string theories with
characteristic energy scales below the Planck mass. Avoidance of topological
obstructions upon continuous deformation of field configurations leads to
global chiral symmetry breaking of the underlying fundamental theory, imposes
rigorous restrictions on the structure of the vacuum and space-time itself and
determines uniquely the gauge structure and matter content.
