title: Role of glycosaminoglycans in infectious disease.
abstract: Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) have been shown to bind to a wide variety of microbial pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi in vitro. GAGs are thought to promote pathogenesis by facilitating pathogen attachment, invasion, or evasion of host defense mechanisms. However, the role of GAGs in infectious disease has not been extensively studied in vivo and therefore their pathophysiological significance and functions are largely unknown. Here we describe methods to directly investigate the role of GAGs in infections in vivo using mouse models of bacterial lung and corneal infection. The overall experimental strategy is to establish the importance and specificity of GAGs, define the essential structural features of GAGs, and identify a biological activity of GAGs that promotes pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Diseases, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 320 Longwood Avenue, Enders-461, Boston, MA, 02115, USA, akiko.ohno@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jinno
authors.forename: Pyong Woo
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D053668:Syndecan-1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D006497:Heparan Sulfate; D053668:Syndecan-1