title: The Geodia cydonium galectin exhibits prototype and chimera-type characteristics and a unique sequence polymorphism within its carbohydrate recognition domain.
abstract: The ancestral galectin from the sponge Geodia cydonium (GCG) is classified on a structural basis to the prototype subfamily, whereas its carbohydrate-binding specificity is related to that of the mammalian chimera-type galectin-3. This dual coordination reveals GCG as a potential precursor of the later evolved galectin subfamilies, which is reflected in the primary structure of the protein. This study provides evidence that GCG is the LECT1 gene product, while neither a previously described LECT2 gene nor a functional LECT2 gene product was found in the specimen under investigation. The electrophoretically separated protein isomers with apparent molecular masses of 13, 15, and 16 kDa correspond to variants of the LECT1 protein-exhibiting peptide sequence polymorphisms that concern critical positions of the carbohydrate recognition domain (13 kDa: Leu51, Asn55, His130, Gly137; 15 kDa: Ser51, Asn55, Asn130, Gly137; 16 kDa: Ser51, Tyr55, Asn130, Glu137). Four residues, highly conserved in the galectin family, are substituted. None of the residues claimed to be involved in interactions with GalNAcalpha1-3 moieties at an extended binding subsite of galectin-3 was identified in the corresponding positions of GCG. Apparently, the substitutions do not confer distinct binding characteristics to the GCG variants as evidenced by binding studies with a recombinantly expressed 15-kDa isoform. The natural isoforms as well as the recombinant 15-kDa isoform oligomerize by the formation of non-covalent heteromeric or homomeric complexes. A phosphorylation of the galectin was confirmed neither by mass spectrometry nor by alkaline phosphatase treatment combined with isoelectric focusing.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Facility, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 52, 50931 Köln, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stalz
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: Detlev
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schleuder
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macht
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haebel
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strupat
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peter-Katalinic
authors.forename: Franz-Georg
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Hanisch
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D037161:Galectins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D037161:Galectins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C081157:lectin-1, Geodia cydonium