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Čoma M, Manning JC, Kaltner H, Gál P. The sweet side of wound healing: galectins as promising therapeutic targets in hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation/remodeling. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:41-53. [PMID: 36716023 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2175318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Understanding the molecular and cellular processes involved in skin wound healing may pave the way for the development of innovative approaches to transforming the identified natural effectors into therapeutic tools. Based on the extensive involvement of the ga(lactoside-binding)lectin family in (patho)physiological processes, it has been well established that galectins are involved in a wide range of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. AREAS COVERED In the present paper, we provide an overview of the biological role of galectins in repair and regeneration, focusing on four main phases (hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and maturation/remodeling) of skin repair using basic wound models (open excision vs. sutured incision). EXPERT OPINION The reported data make a strong case for directing further efforts to treat excisional and incisional wounds differently. Functions of galectins essentially result from their modular presentation. In fact, Gal-1 seems to play a role in the early phases of healing (anti-inflammatory) and wound contraction, Gal-3 accelerates re-epithelization and increases tensile strength (scar inductor). Galectins have also become subject of redesigning by engineering to optimize the activity. Clinically relevant, these new tools derived from the carbohydrate recognition domain platform may also prove helpful for other purposes, such as potent antibacterial agglutinins and opsonins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matúš Čoma
- Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Inc, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Joachim C Manning
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Herbert Kaltner
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Gál
- Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Inc, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Prague Burn Center, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Královske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic.,Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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2
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Ruiz FM, Medrano FJ, Ludwig AK, Kaltner H, Shilova NV, Bovin NV, Gabius HJ, Romero A. Structural Characterization of Rat Galectin-5, an N-Tailed Monomeric Proto-Type-like Galectin. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1854. [PMID: 34944498 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Galectins are multi-purpose effectors acting via interactions with distinct counterreceptors based on protein-glycan/protein recognition. These processes are emerging to involve several regions on the protein so that the availability of a detailed structural characterization of a full-length galectin is essential. We report here the first crystallographic information on the N-terminal extension of the carbohydrate recognition domain of rat galectin-5, which is precisely described as an N-tailed proto-type-like galectin. In the ligand-free protein, the three amino-acid stretch from Ser2 to Ser5 is revealed to form an extra β-strand (F0), and the residues from Thr6 to Asn12 are part of a loop protruding from strands S1 and F0. In the ligand-bound structure, amino acids Ser2–Tyr10 switch position and are aligned to the edge of the β-sandwich. Interestingly, the signal profile in our glycan array screening shows the sugar-binding site to preferentially accommodate the histo-blood-group B (type 2) tetrasaccharide and N-acetyllactosamine-based di- and oligomers. The crystal structures revealed the characteristically preformed structural organization around the central Trp77 of the CRD with involvement of the sequence signature’s amino acids in binding. Ligand binding was also characterized calorimetrically. The presented data shows that the N-terminal extension can adopt an ordered structure and shapes the hypothesis that a ligand-induced shift in the equilibrium between flexible and ordered conformers potentially acts as a molecular switch, enabling new contacts in this region.
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Abstract
A key lesson emerging from COVID-19 is that pandemic proofing planetary health against future ecological crises calls for systems science and preventive medicine innovations. With greater proximity of the human and animal natural habitats in the 21st century, it is also noteworthy that zoonotic infections such as COVID-19 that jump from animals to humans are increasingly plausible in the coming decades. In this context, glycomics technologies and the third alphabet of life, the sugar code, offer veritable prospects to move omics systems science from discovery to diverse applications of relevance to global public health and preventive medicine. In this expert review, we discuss the science of glycomics, its importance in vaccine development, and the recent progress toward discoveries on the sugar code that can help prevent future infectious outbreaks that are looming on the horizon in the 21st century. Glycomics offers veritable prospects to boost planetary health, not to mention the global scientific capacity for vaccine innovation against novel and existing infectious agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqing Wang
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
- Centre for Precision Health, ECU Strategic Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
| | - Zhaohua Zhong
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
- School of Basic Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
- Centre for Precision Health, ECU Strategic Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
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Varinská L, Fáber L, Petrovová E, Balážová L, Ivančová E, Kolář M, Gál P. Galectin-8 Favors VEGF-Induced Angiogenesis: In Vitro Study in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells and In Vivo Study in Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane. Anticancer Res 2020; 40:3191-3201. [PMID: 32487613 DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.14300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Although it has been accepted that the tandem repeat galectin-8 (Gal-8) is linked to angiogenesis, the underlying mechanisms in endothelial cells has remained poorly understood. In this study we aimed to investigate the effect of Gal-8 on selected biological processes linked to angiogenesis in in vitro and in vivo models. MATERIALS AND METHODS In detail, we assessed how exogenously added human recombinant Gal-8 (with or without vascular endothelial growth factor - VEGF) affects selected steps involved in vessel formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as well as using the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Gene expression profiling of HUVECs was performed to extend the scope of our investigation. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate that Gal-8 in combination with VEGF enhanced cell proliferation and migration, two cellular events linked to angiogenesis. However, Gal-8 alone did not exhibit any significant effects on cell proliferation or on cell migration. The molecular analysis revealed that Gal-8 in the presence of VEGF influenced cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, HIF-1 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. Gal-8 alone also targeted cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, but with a different expression profile as well as a modulated focal adhesion and TNF signaling. CONCLUSION Gal-8 promotes a pro-angiogenic phenotype possibly in a synergistic manner with VEGF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Varinská
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Inc., Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Lenka Fáber
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Eva Petrovová
- Department of Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Ludmila Balážová
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Eleonóra Ivančová
- Department of Stomatology and Maxilofacial Surgery, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and Louis Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Michal Kolář
- Laboratory of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Gál
- Department of Biomedical Research, East-Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Inc., Košice, Slovak Republic .,Laboratory of Cell Interactions, MediPark, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovak Republic.,Prague Burn Center, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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5
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Abstract
Infection-associated cancers account for ∼20% of all malignancies. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying infection-associated malignancies may help in developing diagnostic biomarkers and preventative vaccines against malignancy. During infection, invading microbes interact with host mucins lining the glandular epithelial cells and trigger inflammation. MUC1 is a transmembrane mucin glycoprotein that is present on the surface of almost all epithelial cells, and is known to interact with invading microbes. This interaction can trigger pro- or anti-inflammatory responses depending on the microbe and the cell type. In this review we summarize the mechanisms of microbe and MUC1 interactions, and highlight how MUC1 plays contrasting roles in different cells. We also share perspectives on future research that may support clinical advances in infection-associated cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukulika Bose
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA.
| | - Pinku Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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Özdemir V, Arga KY, Aziz RK, Bayram M, Conley SN, Dandara C, Endrenyi L, Fisher E, Garvey CK, Hekim N, Kunej T, Şardaş S, Von Schomberg R, Yassin AS, Yılmaz G, Wang W. Digging Deeper into Precision/Personalized Medicine: Cracking the Sugar Code, the Third Alphabet of Life, and Sociomateriality of the Cell. OMICS 2020; 24:62-80. [PMID: 32027574 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2019.0220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Precision/personalized medicine is a hot topic in health care. Often presented with the motto "the right drug, for the right patient, at the right dose, and the right time," precision medicine is a theory for rational therapeutics as well as practice to individualize health interventions (e.g., drugs, food, vaccines, medical devices, and exercise programs) using biomarkers. Yet, an alien visitor to planet Earth reading the contemporary textbooks on diagnostics might think precision medicine requires only two biomolecules omnipresent in the literature: nucleic acids (e.g., DNA) and proteins, known as the first and second alphabet of biology, respectively. However, the precision/personalized medicine community has tended to underappreciate the third alphabet of life, the "sugar code" (i.e., the information stored in glycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids). This article brings together experts in precision/personalized medicine science, pharmacoglycomics, emerging technology governance, cultural studies, contemporary art, and responsible innovation to critically comment on the sociomateriality of the three alphabets of life together. First, the current transformation of targeted therapies with personalized glycomedicine and glycan biomarkers is examined. Next, we discuss the reasons as to why unraveling of the sugar code might have lagged behind the DNA and protein codes. While social scientists have historically noted the importance of constructivism (e.g., how people interpret technology and build their values, hopes, and expectations into emerging technologies), life scientists relied on the material properties of technologies in explaining why some innovations emerge rapidly and are more popular than others. The concept of sociomateriality integrates these two explanations by highlighting the inherent entanglement of the social and the material contributions to knowledge and what is presented to us as reality from everyday laboratory life. Hence, we present a hypothesis based on a sociomaterial conceptual lens: because materiality and synthesis of glycans are not directly driven by a template, and thus more complex and open ended than sequencing of a finite length genome, social construction of expectations from unraveling of the sugar code versus the DNA code might have evolved differently, as being future-uncertain versus future-proof, respectively, thus potentially explaining the "sugar lag" in precision/personalized medicine diagnostics over the past decades. We conclude by introducing systems scientists, physicians, and biotechnology industry to the concept, practice, and value of responsible innovation, while glycomedicine and other emerging biomarker technologies (e.g., metagenomics and pharmacomicrobiomics) transition to applications in health care, ecology, pharmaceutical/diagnostic industries, agriculture, food, and bioengineering, among others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vural Özdemir
- OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, New Rochelle, New York.,Senior Advisor and Writer, Emerging Technology Governance and Responsible Innovation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - K Yalçın Arga
- Health Institutes of Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey.,Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Marmara University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Ramy K Aziz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.,The Center for Genome and Microbiome Research, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mustafa Bayram
- Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Shannon N Conley
- STS Futures Lab, School of Integrated Sciences, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
| | - Collet Dandara
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology and Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Laszlo Endrenyi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Erik Fisher
- School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Colin K Garvey
- Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
| | - Nezih Hekim
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul Medipol University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Tanja Kunej
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, Domzale, Slovenia
| | - Semra Şardaş
- Faculty of Pharmacy, İstinye University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Rene Von Schomberg
- Directorate General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, Brussel, Belgium.,Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Aymen S Yassin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.,The Center for Genome and Microbiome Research, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Gürçim Yılmaz
- Writer and Editor, Cultural Studies, and Curator of Contemporary Arts, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Municipal Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia
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Kutzner TJ, Gabba A, FitzGerald FG, Shilova NV, García Caballero G, Ludwig AK, Manning JC, Knospe C, Kaltner H, Sinowatz F, Murphy PV, Cudic M, Bovin NV, Gabius HJ. How altering the modular architecture affects aspects of lectin activity: case study on human galectin-1. Glycobiology 2019; 29:593-607. [PMID: 31091305 PMCID: PMC6639544 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwz034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Discoveries on involvement of glycan-protein recognition in many (patho)physiological processes are directing attention to exploring the significance of a fundamental structural aspect of sugar receptors beyond glycan specificity, i.e., occurrence of distinct types of modular architecture. In order to trace clues for defining design-functionality relationships in human lectins, a lectin's structural unit has been used as source material for engineering custom-made variants of the wild-type protein. Their availability facilitates comparative analysis toward the stated aim. With adhesion/growth-regulatory human galectin-1 as example, the strategy of evaluating how changes of its design (here, from the homodimer of non-covalently associated domains to (i) linker-connected di- and tetramers and (ii) a galectin-3-like protein) affect activity is illustrated by using three assay systems of increasing degree of glycan complexity. Whereas calorimetry with two cognate disaccharides and array testing with 647 (glyco)compounds disclosed no major changes, galectin histochemical staining profiles of tissue sections that present natural glycome complexity revealed differences between wild-type and linker-connected homo-oligomers as well as between the galectin-3-like variant and wild-type galectin-3 for cell-type positivity, level of intensity at the same site and susceptibility for inhibition by a bivalent glycocompound. These results underscore the strength of the documented approach. Moreover, they give direction to proceed to (i) extending its application to other members of this lectin family, especially galectin-3 and (ii) then analyzing impact of architectural alterations on cell surface lattice formation and ensuing biosignaling systematically, considering the variants' potential for translational medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja J Kutzner
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Adele Gabba
- School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Forrest G FitzGerald
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL, USA
| | - Nadezhda V Shilova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Laboratory of Carbohydrates, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Gabriel García Caballero
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna-Kristin Ludwig
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim C Manning
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Clemens Knospe
- Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Herbert Kaltner
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Fred Sinowatz
- Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Paul V Murphy
- School of Chemistry, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Mare Cudic
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL, USA
| | - Nicolai V Bovin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Laboratory of Carbohydrates, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Centre for Kode Technology Innovation, School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Hans-Joachim Gabius
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
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Diercks T, Infantino AS, Unione L, Jiménez-Barbero J, Oscarson S, Gabius HJ. Fluorinated Carbohydrates as Lectin Ligands: Synthesis of OH/F-Substituted N-Glycan Core Trimannoside and Epitope Mapping by 2D STD-TOCSYreF NMR spectroscopy. Chemistry 2018; 24:15761-15765. [PMID: 30276889 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201803217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Glycan-protein interactions play an important role in a broad range of physiological processes, raising interest to elucidate the structural interplay. Yet, their dynamic nature limits the analysis by crystallography, whereas NMR spectroscopy suffers from the low 1 H dispersion of glycans. Therefore, their sparse fluorination and NMR screening by 1D Saturation Transfer Difference with relay to 19 F (STDreF) was previously proposed to exploit the superior dispersion in 19 F NMR spectroscopy. A new 2D STD-TOCSYreF experiment is presented here that enables comprehensive epitope mapping of fluorinated glycans by combining the spectral resolution of 19 F with the spatial resolution and coverage of 1 H. For an illustration, the 2-deoxy-2-fluoro derivative of the N-glycan core trimannoside was synthesised and its recognition of Pisum sativum agglutinin by either of the two terminal mannose residues was confirmed. Going beyond the crystallographic information, the 2D STD-TOCSYreF spectrum moreover visualised collateral contacts from the branching mannose and allowed to assess the ratio of both co-existing binding modes through the α1,3- (67 %) and α1,6-linked (33 %) terminal mannose moieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammo Diercks
- NMR Facility, CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Bld 800, 48170, Derio, Spain
| | - Angela Simona Infantino
- Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Luca Unione
- Molecular Recognition and Host-Pathogen Interactions, CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Bld 800, 48170, Derio, Spain
| | - Jesús Jiménez-Barbero
- Molecular Recognition and Host-Pathogen Interactions, CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Bld 800, 48170, Derio, Spain
| | - Stefan Oscarson
- Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Hans-Joachim Gabius
- Tierärztliche Fakultät, Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinärstr. 13, 80539, München, Germany
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Ledeen RW, Kopitz J, Abad-Rodríguez J, Gabius HJ. Glycan Chains of Gangliosides: Functional Ligands for Tissue Lectins (Siglecs/Galectins). Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci 2018; 156:289-324. [PMID: 29747818 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Molecular signals on the cell surface are responsible for adhesion and communication. Of relevance in this respect, their chemical properties endow carbohydrates with the capacity to store a maximum of information in a minimum of space. One way to present glycans on the cell surface is their covalent conjugation to a ceramide anchor. Among the resulting glycosphingolipids, gangliosides are special due to the presence of at least one sialic acid in the glycan chains. Their spatial accessibility and the dynamic regulation of their profile are factors that argue in favor of a role of glycans of gangliosides as ligands (counterreceptors) for carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins). Indeed, as discovered first for a bacterial toxin, tissue lectins bind gangliosides and mediate contact formation (trans) and signaling (cis). While siglecs have a preference for higher sialylated glycans, certain galectins also target the monosialylated pentasaccharide of ganglioside GM1. Enzymatic interconversion of ganglioside glycans by sialidase action, relevant for neuroblastoma cell differentiation and growth control in vitro, for axonogenesis and axon regeneration, as well as for proper communication between effector and regulatory T cells, changes lectin-binding affinity profoundly. The GD1a-to-GM1 "editing" is recognized by such lectins, for example, myelin-associated glycoprotein (siglec-4) losing affinity and galectin-1 gaining reactivity, and then translated into postbinding signaling. Orchestrations of loss/gain of affinity, of ganglioside/lectin expression, and of lectin presence in a network offer ample opportunities for fine-tuning. Thus glycans of gangliosides such as GD1a and GM1 are functional counterreceptors by a pairing with tissue lectins, an emerging aspect of ganglioside and lectin functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Ledeen
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States.
| | - Jürgen Kopitz
- Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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Roy R, Murphy PV, Gabius HJ. Multivalent Carbohydrate-Lectin Interactions: How Synthetic Chemistry Enables Insights into Nanometric Recognition. Molecules 2016; 21:E629. [PMID: 27187342 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21050629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycan recognition by sugar receptors (lectins) is intimately involved in many aspects of cell physiology. However, the factors explaining the exquisite selectivity of their functional pairing are not yet fully understood. Studies toward this aim will also help appraise the potential for lectin-directed drug design. With the network of adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins as therapeutic targets, the strategy to recruit synthetic chemistry to systematically elucidate structure-activity relationships is outlined, from monovalent compounds to glyco-clusters and glycodendrimers to biomimetic surfaces. The versatility of the synthetic procedures enables to take examining structural and spatial parameters, alone and in combination, to its limits, for example with the aim to produce inhibitors for distinct galectin(s) that exhibit minimal reactivity to other members of this group. Shaping spatial architectures similar to glycoconjugate aggregates, microdomains or vesicles provides attractive tools to disclose the often still hidden significance of nanometric aspects of the different modes of lectin design (sequence divergence at the lectin site, differences of spatial type of lectin-site presentation). Of note, testing the effectors alone or in combination simulating (patho)physiological conditions, is sure to bring about new insights into the cooperation between lectins and the regulation of their activity.
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11
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Vértesy S, Michalak M, Miller MC, Schnölzer M, André S, Kopitz J, Mayo KH, Gabius HJ. Structural significance of galectin design: impairment of homodimer stability by linker insertion and partial reversion by ligand presence. Protein Eng Des Sel 2015; 28:199-210. [PMID: 25796447 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzv014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lectins translate information encoded in glycan chains of cellular glycoconjugates into bioeffects. The topological presentation of contact sites for cognate sugar binding is a crucial factor toward this end. To dissect the significance of such phylogenetically conserved properties, the design and engineering of non-natural variants are attractive approaches. Here, a homodimeric human lectin, i.e. adhesion/growth-regulatory galectin-1, is converted into a tandem-repeat display by introducing the 33-amino-acid linker of another family member (i.e. galectin-8). The yield of variant was reduced by about a third. This protein had ∼10-fold higher activity in hemagglutination. Nearly complete sequence determination by mass-spectrometric in-source decay and fingerprinting excluded the presence of any modifications. When (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence data on the (15)N-labeled variant and wild-type protein were compared, changes in chemical shifts, signal intensities and resonance multiplicities revealed reduction of stability of interfacial contacts between the lectin domains and an increase in inter-domain flexibility. When both binding sites in the variant were loaded with ligand, association of the two carbohydrate recognition domains was enhanced, corroborated by gel filtration. Dynamic changes in the spatial presentation of the two lectin domains in the context of a tandem-repeat display can alter counterreceptor targeting relative to the fixed positions found in the proto-type galectin homodimer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Vértesy
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Tierärztliche Fakultät, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Veterinär-straße 13, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Malwina Michalak
- Abteilung für Angewandte Tumorbiologie, Pathologisches Institut, Klinikum der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michelle C Miller
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Health Sciences Center, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Str., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Martina Schnölzer
- Funktionelle Proteomanalyse, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 580, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sabine André
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Tierärztliche Fakultät, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Veterinär-straße 13, 80539 München, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kopitz
- Abteilung für Angewandte Tumorbiologie, Pathologisches Institut, Klinikum der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kevin H Mayo
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota Health Sciences Center, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Str., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Hans-Joachim Gabius
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Tierärztliche Fakultät, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Veterinär-straße 13, 80539 München, Germany
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Abstract
One of the most fascinating questions in the field of neurobiology is to understand how neuronal connections are properly formed. During development, neurons extend axons that are guided along defined paths by attractive and repulsive cues to reach their brain target. Most of these guidance factors are regulated by heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), a family of cell-surface and extracellular core proteins with attached heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycans. The unique diversity and structural complexity of HS sugar chains, as well as the variety of core proteins, have been proposed to generate a complex "sugar code" essential for brain wiring. While the functions of HSPGs have been well characterized in C. elegans or Drosophila, relatively little is known about their roles in nervous system development in vertebrates. In this chapter, we describe the advantages and the different methods available to study the roles of HSPGs in axon guidance directly in vivo in zebrafish. We provide protocols for visualizing axons in vivo, including precise dye labeling and time-lapse imaging, and for disturbing the functions of HS-modifying enzymes and core proteins, including morpholino, DNA, or RNA injections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne E Poulain
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Coker Life Science Building, 715 Sumter street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA,
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