101
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Smetana K, André S, Kaltner H, Kopitz J, Gabius HJ. Context-dependent multifunctionality of galectin-1: a challenge for defining the lectin as therapeutic target. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2013; 17:379-92. [PMID: 23289445 DOI: 10.1517/14728222.2013.750651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION One route of translating the information encoded in the glycan chains of cellular glycoconjugates into physiological effects is via receptor (lectin) binding. A family of endogenous lectins, sharing folding, a distinct sequence signature and affinity for β-galactosides (thus termed galectins), does so effectively in a context-dependent manner. AREAS COVERED An overview is given on the multifunctional nature of galectins, with emphasis on galectin-1. The broad range of functions includes vital processes such as adhesion via glycan bridging, glycoconjugate transport or triggering signaling relevant, for example, for growth regulation. Besides distinct glycoconjugates, this lectin can also interact with certain proteins so that it can target counterreceptors at all sites of location, that is, in the cytoplasm and/or nucleus, at both sides of the membrane or extracellularly. Approaches to strategically exploit galectin activities with therapeutic intentions are outlined. EXPERT OPINION The wide versatility of sugar coding and the multifunctionality of galectin-1 explain why considering to turn the protein into a therapeutic target is an ambitious aim. Natural pathways shaped by physiologic master regulators (e.g., the tumor suppressor p16(INK4a)) are suggested to teach inspiring lessons as to how the lectin might be recruited to clinical service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karel Smetana
- Institute of Anatomy, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, U Nemocnice 3, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic
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102
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McSorley HJ, Hewitson JP, Maizels RM. Immunomodulation by helminth parasites: defining mechanisms and mediators. Int J Parasitol 2013; 43:301-10. [PMID: 23291463 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2012] [Revised: 11/28/2012] [Accepted: 11/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological and interventional human studies, as well as experiments in animal models, strongly indicate that helminth parasitic infections can confer protection from immune dysregulatory diseases such as allergy, autoimmunity and colitis. Here, we review the immunological pathways that helminths exploit to downregulate immune responses, both against bystander specificities such as allergens and against antigens from the parasites themselves. In particular, we focus on a highly informative laboratory system, the mouse intestinal nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, as a tractable model of host-parasite interaction at the cellular and molecular levels. Analysis of the molecules released in vitro (as excretory-secretory products) and their cellular targets is identifying individual parasite molecules and gene families implicated in immunomodulation, and which hold potential for future human therapy of immunopathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry J McSorley
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, UK.
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103
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Lenting PJ, Casari C, Christophe OD, Denis CV. von Willebrand factor: the old, the new and the unknown. J Thromb Haemost 2012; 10:2428-37. [PMID: 23020315 DOI: 10.1111/jth.12008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a protein best known from its critical role in hemostasis. Indeed, any dysfunction of VWF is associated with a severe bleeding tendency known as von Willebrand disease (VWD). Since the first description of the disease by Erich von Willebrand in 1926, remarkable progress has been made with regard to our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. The cloning of the gene encoding VWF has allowed numerous breakthroughs, and our knowledge of the epidemiology, genetics and molecular basis of VWD has been rapidly expanding since then. These studies have taught us that VWF is rather unique in terms of its multimeric structure and the unusual mechanisms regulating its participation in the hemostatic process. Moreover, it has become increasingly clear that VWF is a more all-round protein than originally thought, given its involvement in several pathologic processes beyond hemostasis. These include angiogenesis, cell proliferation, inflammation, and tumor cell survival. In the present article, an overview of advances concerning the various structural and functional aspects of VWF will be provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Lenting
- Inserm U770, 94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
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104
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Quattroni P, Li Y, Lucchesi D, Lucas S, Hood DW, Herrmann M, Gabius HJ, Tang CM, Exley RM. Galectin-3 binds Neisseria meningitidis and increases interaction with phagocytic cells. Cell Microbiol 2012; 14:1657-75. [PMID: 22827322 PMCID: PMC3749814 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2012.01838.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Revised: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Galectin-3 is expressed and secreted by immune cells and has been implicated in multiple aspects of the inflammatory response. It is a glycan binding protein which can exert its functions within cells or exogenously by binding cell surface ligands, acting as a molecular bridge or activating signalling pathways. In addition, this lectin has been shown to bind to microorganisms. In this study we investigated the interaction between galectin-3 and Neisseria meningitidis, an important extracellular human pathogen, which is a leading cause of septicaemia and meningitis. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that galectin-3 is expressed during meningococcal disease and colocalizes with bacterial colonies in infected tissues from patients. We show that galectin-3 binds to N. meningitidis and we demonstrate that this interaction requiresfull-length, intact lipopolysaccharide molecules. We found that neither exogenous nor endogenous galectin-3 contributes to phagocytosis of N. meningitidis; instead exogenous galectin-3 increases adhesion to monocytes and macrophages but not epithelial cells. Finally we used galectin-3 deficient (Gal-3(-/-) ) mice to evaluate the contribution of galectin-3 to meningococcal bacteraemia. We found that Gal-3(-/-) mice had significantly lower levels of bacteraemia compared with wild-type mice after challenge with live bacteria, indicating that galectin-3 confers an advantage to N. meningitidis during systemic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Quattroni
- Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Microbiology, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Yanwen Li
- Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Microbiology, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Davide Lucchesi
- Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Microbiology, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Lucas
- Department of Histopathology, KCL School of Medicine, North Wing, St. Thomas’s Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Derek W. Hood
- Department of Paediatrics, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Herrmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Krankenhausstrasse 12, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Hans-Joachim Gabius
- Chair of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Veterinärstrasse 13, D-80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Christoph M. Tang
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Microbiology, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel M. Exley
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
- Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Department of Microbiology, Flowers Building, Armstrong Road, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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105
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Sarter K, Janko C, Andre S, Munoz LE, Schorn C, Winkler S, Rech J, Kaltner H, Lorenz HM, Schiller M, Andreoli L, Manfredi AA, Isenberg DA, Schett G, Herrmann M, Gabius HJ. Autoantibodies against galectins are associated with antiphospholipid syndrome in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Glycobiology 2012; 23:12-22. [DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cws120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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106
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Vasta GR, Ahmed H, Nita-Lazar M, Banerjee A, Pasek M, Shridhar S, Guha P, Fernández-Robledo JA. Galectins as self/non-self recognition receptors in innate and adaptive immunity: an unresolved paradox. Front Immunol 2012; 3:199. [PMID: 22811679 PMCID: PMC3396283 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Galectins are characterized by their binding affinity for β-galactosides, a unique binding site sequence motif, and wide taxonomic distribution and structural conservation in vertebrates, invertebrates, protista, and fungi. Since their initial description, galectins were considered to bind endogenous (“self”) glycans and mediate developmental processes and cancer. In the past few years, however, numerous studies have described the diverse effects of galectins on cells involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses, and the mechanistic aspects of their regulatory roles in immune homeostasis. More recently, however, evidence has accumulated to suggest that galectins also bind exogenous (“non-self”) glycans on the surface of potentially pathogenic microbes, parasites, and fungi, suggesting that galectins can function as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in innate immunity. Thus, a perplexing paradox arises by the fact that galectins also recognize lactosamine-containing glycans on the host cell surface during developmental processes and regulation of immune responses. According to the currently accepted model for non-self recognition, PRRs recognize pathogens via highly conserved microbial surface molecules of wide distribution such as LPS or peptidoglycan (pathogen-associated molecular patterns; PAMPs), which are absent in the host. Hence, this would not apply to galectins, which apparently bind similar self/non-self molecular patterns on host and microbial cells. This paradox underscores first, an oversimplification in the use of the PRR/PAMP terminology. Second, and most importantly, it reveals significant gaps in our knowledge about the diversity of the host galectin repertoire, and the subcellular targeting, localization, and secretion. Furthermore, our knowledge about the structural and biophysical aspects of their interactions with the host and microbial carbohydrate moieties is fragmentary, and warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo R Vasta
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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107
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Klyosov AA, Traber PG. Galectins in Disease and Potential Therapeutic Approaches. ACS SYMPOSIUM SERIES 2012. [DOI: 10.1021/bk-2012-1115.ch001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anatole A. Klyosov
- Galectin Therapeutics, Inc., 4960 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Suite 240, Norcross, Georgia 30071
| | - Peter G. Traber
- Galectin Therapeutics, Inc., 4960 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Suite 240, Norcross, Georgia 30071
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