Carbohydrate-recognizing lectins

Some pathogens nse carbohydrate recognizing lectins as a means of attachment to eukaryotic cell surfaces such as hemagglutinins of influenza and other virases. These... 

This observation has an analogy in the world of microbes, which need to adhere effectively to the surface of their host cells to escape the shear forces of body fluids. Bacteria utilize both protein-protein and carbohydrate-protein interactions for adhesion. Pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, for example, responsible for more than 80% of urinary tract infections [2], possess thin hair-like structures on their surfaces, called pili and the shorter fimbriae. Fimbriae specifically recognize carbohydrates. Type 1 fimbriae of E. coli, for example, can, via their FimH lectin domain [3], bind a-D-mannopyranosides. Lectins, e.g. [4-7] named after the Latin word legere to pick out or choose [8] are carbohydrate recognizing proteins found everywhere in nature, e.g. [9-13] and are intensively studied structures. 

TES-45 and TES-55 are two glycoproteins that have yet to be identified at a genetic level, but evidence has been obtained that they may also be lectins. Carbohydrate affinity chromatography with mannose-agarose shows that TES-32 selectively binds as expected, but that TES-45 is also present in small amounts (Loukas et al., 1999) unlike TES-32, TES-45 does not bind to A -ace Lylgalac t< isamine. No sequence information has yet been obtained on TES-45, but it is recognized by polyclonal antibodies generated to TES-32,... 

An illustrative example of carbohydrate-protein recognition has been reported by Chen and coworkers [192] using a C18-mucin mimic polymer that interacts hydro-phobically with SWCNTs. This biohybrid is able to specifically recognize the lectin Hdixpomatia agglutinin (Figure 1.15 A). Galactose-modified CNTs are able to capture... 

Although the physiological function of plant and animal lectins is unknown, these ubiquitous carbohydrate-binding (glyco)proteins can recognize and bind to complex carbohydrates as they occur in solution and on membranes and cell surfaces. A series of papers (by Hardman Brewer and Brown Williams and coworkers Thomas and colleagues and Evans and Wang) deal with the fundamental chemistry of lectin... 

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