Factor sialic acid binding

Hindering activation of the alternate complement pathway, probably by preventing sialic acid binding to factor H [701,702]... 

Abstract Persistent colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori is a risk factor for the development of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Adhesion of microbes to the target tissue is an important determinant for successful initiation, establishment and maintenance of infection, and a variety of different candidate carbohydrate receptors for H. pylori have been identified. Here the different the binding specifities, and their potential role in adhesion to human gastric epithelium are described. Finally, recent findings on the roles of sialic acid binding SabA adhesin in interactions with human neutrophils and erythrocytes are discussed. 

The results obtained in these studies suggest that paucity of receptors for avian viruses in the upper respiratoiy tract in humans is one of the factors preventing efficient human-to-human transmission. This concept is supported by recent studies showing that H5N1 mutants binding to a2-6 linked sialic acid are transmitted between ferrets through the air [37, 38]. 

Bovine AAV has been shown to depend on gangliosides for entry [203], and binding to a2-3-linked sialic acid has been reported for AAV type 5, whereas AAV4 appears to bind to 2-6-linked sialic acid [204]. It has also been suggested that sialic acid serves not just as an attachment factor but is also required for vims internalization [205]. On the whole, however, the role of sialic acid in the AAV infection process is still poorly understood. 

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