title: [How do protein-glycan interactions regulate T-cell physiology?].
abstract: Recent evidence indicates that protein-glycan interactions play a critical role in different events associated with the physiology of T-cell responses including thymocyte maturation, T-cell activation, lymphocyte migration and T-cell apoptosis. Glycans decorating T-cell surface glycoproteins can modulate T-cell physiology by specifically interacting with endogenous lectins including selectins and galectins. These endogenous lectins are capable of recognizing sugar structures localized on T-cell surface glycoproteins and trigger different signal transduction pathways leading to differentiation, proliferation, cell cycle regulation or apoptosis. Protein-carbohydrate interactions may be controlled at different levels, including regulated expression of lectins during T-cell maturation and differentiation and the spatio-temporal regulation of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases, which create and modify sugar structures present in T-cell surface glycoproteins. This article briefly reviews the mechanisms by which protein-carbohydrate interactions modulate immunological processes such as T-cell activation, migration and apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Division Inmunogenética, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marta A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Toscano
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ilarregui
authors.forename: Germán A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
authors.forename: Gabriel A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rabinovich
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002450:Cell Communication; D037161:Galectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006031:Glycosylation; D016695:Glycosyltransferases; D006801:Humans; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000276:immunology; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019087:Selectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D037161:Galectins; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011506:Proteins; D019087:Selectins; D016695:Glycosyltransferases