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Recognition Roles of Mammalian Structural Units and Polyvalency in Lectin–Glycan Interactions

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The Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates-3

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 705))

Abstract

Lectins are an important class of proteins or glycoproteins of nonimmune origin that specifically or selectively bind carbohydrate moieties of complex carbohydrates. They play many critical roles in life processes, such as fertilization, embryogenesis, cell migration, organ formation, inflammation, immune defense, and microbial infection [8, 22, 40]. Specificity of lectins toward particular carbohydrate structures allows them to be used for characterization of unknown structures and identification and fractionation of glycoconjugates [23]. Moreover, this unique group of proteins has provided researchers with powerful tools to explore many biological processes in which lectins are involved. Considering the role of lectins in vivo, we have to realize that lectins in living organisms interact with multivalent macromolecules (glycoproteins) or clusters of oligosaccharide ligands on the cell surface.

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Abbreviations

C:

Chitin disaccharide (GlcNAcβ1→4GlcNAc)

(GlcNAcβ1→4)n :

Repeat unit of GlcNAcβ1→4

NeuNAc or Neu5Ac:

N-Acetylneuraminic acid

NeuGly or NeuGc:

N-Glycolylneuraminic acid

R:

Carbohydrate residue

m:

multivalent

Ah :

GalNAcα1→3(lFucα1→2)Gal

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Chang Gung Medical Research plan (CMRPD no. 180482 and 170443) Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, Taiwan, and the National Science Council (NSC 97-2628-B-182-002-MY3 and 97-2320-B-182-020-MY3), Taipei, Taiwan.

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  1. Glyco-Immunochemistry Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, 333, Taiwan

    Albert M. Wu

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  1. Albert M. Wu
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  2. Jia-Haw Liu
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  3. Tanuja Singh
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  4. Zhangung Yang
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Correspondence to Albert M. Wu .

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  1. College of Medicine, Institute of Molecular&Cellular Biology, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-San, Tao-Yuan, 333, Taiwan R.O.C.

    Albert M. Wu

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Wu, A.M., Liu, JH., Singh, T., Yang, Z. (2011). Recognition Roles of Mammalian Structural Units and Polyvalency in Lectin–Glycan Interactions. In: Wu, A. (eds) The Molecular Immunology of Complex Carbohydrates-3. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 705. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7877-6_6

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