Receptins: a novel term for an expanding spectrum of natural and engineered microbial proteins with binding properties for mammalian proteins.
A new term 'receptin', derived from recipere (lat.), is proposed to denote microbial binding proteins that interact with mammalian target proteins. An example of such a 'receptin' is staphyloccocal protein A which binds to the Fc part of many mammalian immunoglobulins. Several other types of 'receptins' are listed. This term may easily be distinguished from the similar term 'receptor', describing a binding site on a cell surface, mostly eukaryotic, where a secondary effect is induced inside the cell upon binding to a ligand. A receptin, however, does not necessarily have to induce a secondary event. Receptins include so called MSCRAMMs, adhesins, and also engineered receptins, affibodies, and engineered ligands. It denotes any protein of microbial origin, cell-bound or soluble, which can bind to a mammalian protein. It fulfills the need for an umbrella terminology for a large group of binding structures. In contrast, the term 'lectin' represents a group of proteins with affinity for carbohydrate structures. The new term 'receptin' includes a number of key microbial proteins involved in host-parasite interactions and in virulence. Some receptins are promising vaccine candidates.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology L2:02, Karolinska Institute & Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, S-171 76 Sweden.
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D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A / Q000378:metabolism; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D037102:Lectins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A; D014764:Viral Proteins