Recognition of acetylated oligosaccharides by human L-ficolin.
The complement system is a protein cascade capable of neutralizing invading pathogens. One of its activation pathways is the lectin pathway which is dependent on the binding of MBL or the ficolins. The specificity of L-ficolin binding has been investigated previously and it was observed that binding is dependent on acetyl groups. If this was the only requirement this would enable L-ficolin to bind to most mammalian glycosylations since they contain acetylated monosaccharides. To investigate this further L-ficolin was subjected to glycan-array analysis in which L-ficolin binding to 279 different glycans was investigated. Few of these bound L-ficolin above background level but clear structural requirements were discovered.
Krarup
Anders
A
MRC Immunochemistry Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford UK. anders.krarup@bioch.ox.ac.uk
Mitchell
Daniel A
DA
Sim
Robert B
RB
D000107:Acetylation; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D000097604:Ficolins
D037102:Lectins; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D000097604:Ficolins