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Jan Marchant,
Ben Cowper,
Yan Liu,
Livia Lai,
Camila Pinzan,
Jean Baptiste Marq,
Nikolas Friedrich,
Kovilen Sawmynaden,
Lloyd Liew,
Wengang Chai,
Robert A Childs,
Savvas Saouros,
Peter Simpson,
Maria Cristina Roque Barreira, Ten Feizi,
Dominique Soldati-Favre,
Stephen Matthews
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ABSTRACT: Toxosplasma gondii is the model parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, which contains numerous obligate intracellular parasites of medical and veterinary importance, including Eimeria, Sarcocystis, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, and Plasmodium species. Members of this phylum actively enter host cells by a multistep process with the help of microneme protein (MIC) complexes that play important roles in motility, host cell attachment, moving junction formation, and invasion. T. gondii (Tg)MIC1-4-6 complex is the most extensively investigated microneme complex, which contributes to host cell recognition and attachment via the action of TgMIC1, a sialic acid-binding adhesin. Here, we report the structure of TgMIC4 and reveal its carbohydrate-binding specificity to a variety of galactose-containing carbohydrate ligands. The lectin is composed of six apple domains in which the fifth domain displays a potent galactose-binding activity, and which is cleaved from the complex during parasite invasion. We propose that galactose recognition by TgMIC4 may compromise host protection from galectin-mediated activation of the host immune system.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 03/2012; 287(20):16720-33. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Carbohydrate microarrays, since their advent in 2002, are revolutionizing studies of the molecular basis of protein-carbohydrate interactions both in endogenous recognition systems and pathogen-host interactions. We have developed a unique carbohydrate microarray system based on the neoglycolipid (NGL) technology, a well-validated microscale approach for generating lipid-tagged oligosaccharide probes for use in carbohydrate recognition studies. This chapter provides an overview of the principles and key features of the NGL-based oligosaccharide microarrays, and describes in detail the basic techniques - from the preparation of NGL probes to the generation of microarrays using robotic arraying hardware, as well as a general protocol for probing the microarrays with carbohydrate-binding proteins.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 01/2012; 808:117-36.
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ABSTRACT: In this chapter, we describe the key steps of the "designer" oligosaccharide microarray approach we followed to prove the carbohydrate binding activity and define the oligosaccharide ligands for Dectin-1, an atypical C-type lectin-like signaling receptor of the mammalian innate immune system with a key role in anti-fungal immunity. The term "designer" microarray, which we introduced in the course of the Dectin-1 study refers to a microarray of oligosaccharide probes generated from ligand-bearing glycoconjugates to reveal the oligosaccharide ligands they harbor, so that these can be isolated and characterized. Oligosaccharide probes were generated from two polysaccharides, one that was bound by Dectin-1 and known to be rich in β1,3-glucose sequence and another that was not bound and was rich in β1,6-glucose sequence and served as a negative control. The approach involved: classic ELISA-type binding assays to select the polysaccharides; partial depolymerization of the polysaccharides by chemical hydrolysis; fractionation by size of the glucan oligosaccharides obtained and determination of their chain lengths by mass spectrometry; detection of Dectin-1 ligand-positive and ligand-negative oligosaccharides using the neoglycolipid (NGL) technology; methylation analysis of oligosaccharides to derive glucose linkage information, and incorporation of the newly generated glucan oligosaccharide probes into microarrays encompassing diverse mammalian-type and exogenous sequences for microarray analysis of Dectin-1.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 01/2012; 808:337-59.
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ABSTRACT: It is well established that murine T-lymphocyte activation is accompanied by major changes in cell-surface sialylation, potentially
influencing interactions with sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (siglecs). In the present study, we analyzed
early activation of murine CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes at 24 h. We observed a striking and selective up-regulation in the
binding of a recombinant soluble form of siglec-E, an inhibitory siglec, which is expressed on several myeloid cell types
including antigen-presenting dendritic cells. In contrast, much lower levels of T cell binding were observed with other siglecs,
including sialoadhesin, CD22, and siglec-F and the plant lectins Maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin and Sambucus nigra agglutinin. By mass spectrometry, the sialic acid content of 24-h-activated CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes exhibited an increased
proportion of N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NeuAc) to N-glycolyl-neuraminic acid (NeuGc) in N-glycans. Reduced levels of NeuGc on the surface of activated T cells were demonstrated using an antibody specific for NeuGc
and the expression levels of the gene encoding NeuAc- to NeuGc-converting enzyme, CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase, were also reduced.
Siglec-E bound a wide range of sialylated structures in glycan arrays, had a preference for NeuAc versus NeuGc-terminated sequences and could recognize a set of sialoglycoproteins that included CD45, in lysates from activated
T-lymphocytes. Collectively, these results show that early in T cell activation, glycan remodelling involves a switch from
NeuGc- to NeuAc-terminating oligosaccharides on cell surface glycoproteins. This is associated with a strong up-regulation
of siglec-E ligands, which may be important in promoting cellular interactions between early activated T-lymphocytes and myeloid
cells expressing this inhibitory receptor.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 10/2011; 286(40):34522-34532. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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Livia Lai,
Janene Bumstead,
Yan Liu,
James Garnett,
Maria A Campanero-Rhodes,
Damer P Blake,
Angelina S Palma,
Wengang Chai,
David J P Ferguson,
Peter Simpson, Ten Feizi,
Fiona M Tomley,
Stephen Matthews
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ABSTRACT: Eimeria spp. are a highly successful group of intracellular protozoan parasites that develop within intestinal epithelial cells of poultry, causing coccidiosis. As a result of resistance against anticoccidial drugs and the expense of manufacturing live vaccines, it is necessary to understand the relationship between Eimeria and its host more deeply, with a view to developing recombinant vaccines. Eimeria possesses a family of microneme lectins (MICs) that contain microneme adhesive repeat regions (MARR). We show that the major MARR protein from Eimeria tenella, EtMIC3, is deployed at the parasite-host interface during the early stages of invasion. EtMIC3 consists of seven tandem MAR1-type domains, which possess a high specificity for sialylated glycans as shown by cell-based assays and carbohydrate microarray analyses. The restricted tissue staining pattern observed for EtMIC3 in the chicken caecal epithelium indicates that EtMIC3 contributes to guiding the parasite to the site of invasion in the chicken gut. The microarray analyses also reveal a lack of recognition of glycan sequences terminating in the N-glycolyl form of sialic acid by EtMIC3. Thus the parasite is well adapted to the avian host which lacks N-glycolyl neuraminic acid. We provide new structural insight into the MAR1 family of domains and reveal the atomic resolution basis for the sialic acid-based carbohydrate recognition. Finally, a preliminary chicken immunization trial provides evidence that recombinant EtMIC3 protein and EtMIC3 DNA are effective vaccine candidates.
PLoS Pathogens 10/2011; 7(10):e1002296. · 9.13 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Theoretical studies predict hydrophobic matching between transmembrane domains of proteins and bilayer lipids to be a physical mechanism by which membranes laterally self-organize. We now experimentally study the direct consequences of mismatching of transmembrane peptides of different length with bilayers of different thicknesses at the molecular level. In both model membranes and simulations we show that cholesterol critically constrains structural adaptations at the peptide-lipid interface under mismatch. These constraints translate into a sorting potential and lead to selective lateral segregation of peptides and lipids according to their hydrophobic length.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 09/2011; 108(40):16628-33. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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[show abstract]
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ABSTRACT: It is well established that murine T-lymphocyte activation is accompanied by major changes in cell-surface sialylation, potentially influencing interactions with sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (siglecs). In the present study, we analyzed early activation of murine CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes at 24 h. We observed a striking and selective up-regulation in the binding of a recombinant soluble form of siglec-E, an inhibitory siglec, which is expressed on several myeloid cell types including antigen-presenting dendritic cells. In contrast, much lower levels of T cell binding were observed with other siglecs, including sialoadhesin, CD22, and siglec-F and the plant lectins Maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin and Sambucus nigra agglutinin. By mass spectrometry, the sialic acid content of 24-h-activated CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes exhibited an increased proportion of N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NeuAc) to N-glycolyl-neuraminic acid (NeuGc) in N-glycans. Reduced levels of NeuGc on the surface of activated T cells were demonstrated using an antibody specific for NeuGc and the expression levels of the gene encoding NeuAc- to NeuGc-converting enzyme, CMP-NeuAc hydroxylase, were also reduced. Siglec-E bound a wide range of sialylated structures in glycan arrays, had a preference for NeuAc versus NeuGc-terminated sequences and could recognize a set of sialoglycoproteins that included CD45, in lysates from activated T-lymphocytes. Collectively, these results show that early in T cell activation, glycan remodelling involves a switch from NeuGc- to NeuAc-terminating oligosaccharides on cell surface glycoproteins. This is associated with a strong up-regulation of siglec-E ligands, which may be important in promoting cellular interactions between early activated T-lymphocytes and myeloid cells expressing this inhibitory receptor.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 08/2011; 286(40):34522-32. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: High-resolution X-ray crystallography and NMR studies by Koharudin and Gronenborn in this issue provide new information on the mode of N-glycan recognition by a cyanobacterial agglutinin, with anti-HIV activity pointing to the pentamannosyl core as a novel target for therapeutic intervention.
Structure 08/2011; 19(8):1035-7. · 6.35 Impact Factor
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Aleksandra A. Watson,
Andrey A. Lebedev,
Benjamin A. Hall,
Angharad E. Fenton-May,
Alexei A. Vagin,
Wanwisa Dejnirattisai,
James Felce,
Juthathip Mongkolsapaya,
Angelina S. Palma,
Yan Liu, Ten Feizi,
Gavin R. Screaton,
Garib N. Murshudov,
Christopher A. O'Callaghan
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ABSTRACT: The human C-type lectin-like molecule CLEC5A is a critical macrophage receptor for dengue virus. The binding of dengue virus
to CLEC5A triggers signaling through the associated adapter molecule DAP12, stimulating proinflammatory cytokine release.
We have crystallized an informative ensemble of CLEC5A structural conformers at 1.9-Å resolution and demonstrate how an on-off
extension to a β-sheet acts as a binary switch regulating the flexibility of the molecule. This structural information together
with molecular dynamics simulations suggests a mechanism whereby extracellular events may be transmitted through the membrane
and influence DAP12 signaling. We demonstrate that CLEC5A is homodimeric at the cell surface and binds to dengue virus serotypes
1–4. We used blotting experiments, surface analyses, glycan microarray, and docking studies to investigate the ligand binding
potential of CLEC5A with particular respect to dengue virus. This study provides a rational foundation for understanding the
dengue virus-macrophage interaction and the role of CLEC5A in dengue virus-induced lethal disease.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 07/2011; 286(27):24208-24218. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The term human epithelial carcinoma antigen (HCA) has been applied collectively to mucin-type high molecular weight (>1000kDa) glycoproteins that are over-expressed in epithelial cancers. Since the 1990s, over 40 monoclonal antibodies have been raised that recognize HCA. There has been evidence that the antigenic determinants are mostly carbohydrates, but details have been elusive. Here we have carried out carbohydrate microarray analyses of one of the monoclonal antibodies, AE3, that has been regarded the 'most carcinoma specific' in respect to its ability to detect HCA in sera of patients with epithelial cancers. The microarrays encompassed a series of 492 sequence-defined glycan probes in the form of glycolipids and neoglycolipids. We have thus established that the antigen recognized by antibody AE3 is a carbohydrate sequence distinct from the A, B, H, Lewis(a/b), Lewis(x/y) and T antigens, but that it is strongly expressed on the monosulfated tetra-glycosyl ceramide, SM1a, Galβ1-3GalNAcβ1-4(3-O-sulfate)Galβ1-4GlcCer. This is the first report of an anti-HCA to be characterized with respect to its recognition sequence and of the occurrence of the antigen on a glycolipid as well as on glycoproteins. Knowledge of a discrete glycan sequence as target antigen now opens the way to its exploration as a serologic cancer biomarker, namely to determine if the antigen elicits an autoantibody response in early non-metastatic cancer, or if it is shed and immunochemically detectable in more advanced disease.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 05/2011; 408(4):548-52. · 2.48 Impact Factor
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Aleksandra A Watson,
Andrey A Lebedev,
Benjamin A Hall,
Angharad E Fenton-May,
Alexei A Vagin,
Wanwisa Dejnirattisai,
James Felce,
Juthathip Mongkolsapaya,
Angelina S Palma,
Yan Liu, Ten Feizi,
Gavin R Screaton,
Garib N Murshudov,
Christopher A O'Callaghan
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The human C-type lectin-like molecule CLEC5A is a critical macrophage receptor for dengue virus. The binding of dengue virus to CLEC5A triggers signaling through the associated adapter molecule DAP12, stimulating proinflammatory cytokine release. We have crystallized an informative ensemble of CLEC5A structural conformers at 1.9-Å resolution and demonstrate how an on-off extension to a β-sheet acts as a binary switch regulating the flexibility of the molecule. This structural information together with molecular dynamics simulations suggests a mechanism whereby extracellular events may be transmitted through the membrane and influence DAP12 signaling. We demonstrate that CLEC5A is homodimeric at the cell surface and binds to dengue virus serotypes 1-4. We used blotting experiments, surface analyses, glycan microarray, and docking studies to investigate the ligand binding potential of CLEC5A with particular respect to dengue virus. This study provides a rational foundation for understanding the dengue virus-macrophage interaction and the role of CLEC5A in dengue virus-induced lethal disease.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 05/2011; 286(27):24208-18. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Calreticulin is a chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) assisting proteins in achieving the correctly folded structure. Details of the binding specificity of calreticulin are still a matter of debate. Calreticulin has been described as an oligosaccharide-binding chaperone but data are also accumulating in support of calreticulin as a polypeptide binding chaperone. In contrast to mammalian immunoglobulin G (IgG), which has complex type N-glycans, chicken immunoglobulin Y (IgY) possesses a monoglucosylated high mannose N-linked glycan, which is a ligand for calreticulin. Here, we have used solid and solution-phase assays to analyze the in vitro binding of calreticulin, purified from human placenta, to human IgG and chicken IgY in order to compare the interactions. In addition, peptides from the respective immunoglobulins were included to further probe the binding specificity of calreticulin. The experiments demonstrate the ability of calreticulin to bind to denatured forms of both IgG and IgY regardless of the glycosylation state of the proteins. Furthermore, calreticulin exhibits binding to peptides (glycosylated and non-glycosylated) derived from trypsin digestion of both immunoglobulins. Additionally, calreticulin peptide binding was examined with synthetic peptides covering the IgG Cγ2 domain demonstrating interaction with approximately half the peptides. Our results show that the dominant binding activity of calreticulin in vitro is toward the polypeptide moieties of IgG and IgY even in the presence of the monoglucosylated high mannose N-linked oligosaccharide on IgY.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 03/2011; 1814(7):889-99. · 4.66 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Here we describe a versatile high-throughput expression system that permits genome-wide screening of type 1 membrane and secreted proteins for interactions with glycans and proteins using both cell-expressed and soluble forms of the expressed proteins. Based on Gateway cloning methodology, we have engineered a destination vector that directs expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged proteins at the cell surface via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol tail. The EGFP fusion proteins can then be cleaved with PreScission protease to release soluble forms of proteins that can be optionally biotinylated. We demonstrate the utility of this cloning and expression system for selected low-affinity membrane lectins from the siglec family of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins, for the glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins FGF-1 and BACE, and for the heterotypic adhesion molecules JAM-B and JAM-C. Cell-expressed proteins can be evaluated for glycan interactions using polyvalent soluble glycan probes and for protein interactions using either cells or soluble proteins. Following cleavage from the cell surface, proteins were complexed in solution and sufficient avidity was achieved to measure weak protein-glycan and weak protein-protein interactions using glycan arrays and surface plasmon resonance, respectively.
Analytical Biochemistry 01/2011; 411(2):261-70. · 3.00 Impact Factor
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Cristina Capodicasa,
Paola Chiani,
Carla Bromuro,
Flavia De Bernardis,
Marcello Catellani,
Angelina S Palma,
Yan Liu, Ten Feizi,
Antonio Cassone,
Eugenio Benvenuto,
Antonella Torosantucci
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ABSTRACT: There is an increasing interest in the development of therapeutic antibodies (Ab) to improve the control of fungal pathogens, but none of these reagents is available for clinical use. We previously described a murine monoclonal antibody (mAb 2G8) targeting β-glucan, a cell wall polysaccharide common to most pathogenic fungi, which conferred significant protection against Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Cryptococcus neoformans in animal models. Transfer of this wide-spectrum, antifungal mAb into the clinical setting would allow the control of most frequent fungal infections in many different categories of patients. To this aim, two chimeric mouse-human Ab derivatives from mAb 2G8, in the format of complete IgG or scFv-Fc, were generated, transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants and purified from leaves with high yields (approximately 50 mg Ab/kg of plant tissues). Both recombinant Abs fully retained the β-glucan-binding specificity and the antifungal activities of the cognate murine mAb against C. albicans. In fact, they recognized preferentially β1,3-linked glucan molecules present at the fungal cell surface and directly inhibited the growth of C. albicans and its adhesion to human epithelial cells in vitro. In addition, both the IgG and the scFv-Fc promoted C. albicans killing by isolated, human polymorphonuclear neutrophils in ex vivo assays and conferred significant antifungal protection in animal models of systemic or vulvovaginal C. albicans infection. These recombinant Abs represent valuable molecules for developing novel, plant-derived immunotherapeutics against candidiasis and, possibly, other fungal diseases.
Plant Biotechnology Journal 01/2011; 9(7):776-87. · 5.44 Impact Factor
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Yan Liu,
Robert A Childs,
Tatyana Matrosovich,
Stephen Wharton,
Angelina S Palma,
Wengang Chai,
Rodney Daniels,
Victoria Gregory,
Jennifer Uhlendorff,
Makoto Kiso,
Hans-Dieter Klenk,
Alan Hay, Ten Feizi,
Mikhail Matrosovich
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ABSTRACT: Mutations in the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 viruses have been detected sporadically. An Asp222Gly (D222G) substitution has been associated with severe or fatal disease. Here we show that 222G variants infected a higher proportion of ciliated cells in cultures of human airway epithelium than did viruses with 222D or 222E, which targeted mainly nonciliated cells. Carbohydrate microarray analyses showed that 222G variants bind a broader range of α2-3-linked sialyl receptor sequences of a type expressed on ciliated bronchial epithelial cells and on epithelia within the lung. These features of 222G mutants may contribute to exacerbation of disease.
Journal of Virology 11/2010; 84(22):12069-74. · 5.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The human JC polyomavirus (JCV) causes a fatal demyelinating disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), in immunocompromised individuals. Current treatment options for PML are inadequate. Sialylated oligosaccharides and the serotonin receptor are known to be necessary for JCV entry, but the molecular interactions underlying JCV attachment remain unknown. Using glycan array screening and viral infectivity assays, we identify a linear sialylated pentasaccharide with the sequence NeuNAc-α2,6-Gal-β1,4-GlcNAc-β1,3-Gal-β1,4-Glc (LSTc) present on host glycoproteins and glycolipids as a specific JCV recognition motif. The crystal structure of the JCV capsid protein VP1 was solved alone and in complex with LSTc. It reveals extensive interactions with the terminal sialic acid of the LSTc motif and specific recognition of an extended conformation of LSTc. Mutations in the JCV oligosaccharide-binding sites abolish cell attachment, viral spread, and infectivity, further validating the importance of this interaction. Our findings provide a powerful platform for the development of antiviral compounds.
Cell host & microbe 10/2010; 8(4):309-19. · 13.02 Impact Factor
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Robert A Childs,
Angelina S Palma,
Steve Wharton,
Tatyana Matrosovich,
Yan Liu,
Wengang Chai,
Maria A Campanero-Rhodes,
Yibing Zhang,
Markus Eickmann,
Makoto Kiso,
Alan Hay,
Mikhail Matrosovich, Ten Feizi
Nature Biotechnology 02/2010; 28(2):178. · 29.50 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In this chapter, we describe the key procedures for isolation of the oligosaccharides and the preparation of neoglycolipid probes together with expression of malectin that have enabled the discovery of the highly selective binding of this newly described protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to a diglucosyl high-mannose N-glycan. This is the first indication of a bioactivity for a diglucosyl high-mannose N-glycan of the type that occurs in the ER of eukaryotic cells and which is an intermediate in the early steps of the N-glycosylation pathway of nascent proteins. The malectin story is an example of a powerful convergence of disciplines in biological sciences: (i) developmental biology, (ii) bioinformatics, (iii) recombinant protein expression, (iv) protein structural studies, (v) glucan biochemistry, and (vi) drug-assisted engineering of oligosaccharide biosynthesis, culminating in (vii) oligosaccharide "designer" microarrays, to clinch the remarkable selectivity of the binding of this newly discovered ER protein. Thus, the way is open to the identification of the role of malectin in the N-glycosylation pathway.
Methods in enzymology 01/2010; 478:265-86. · 1.90 Impact Factor
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Helge Ewers,
Winfried Römer,
Alicia E Smith,
Kirsten Bacia,
Serge Dmitrieff,
Wengang Chai,
Roberta Mancini,
Jürgen Kartenbeck,
Valérie Chambon,
Ludwig Berland,
Ariella Oppenheim,
Günter Schwarzmann, Ten Feizi,
Petra Schwille,
Pierre Sens,
Ari Helenius,
Ludger Johannes
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ABSTRACT: Incoming simian virus 40 (SV40) particles enter tight-fitting plasma membrane invaginations after binding to the carbohydrate moiety of GM1 gangliosides in the host cell plasma membrane through pentameric VP1 capsid proteins. This is followed by activation of cellular signalling pathways, endocytic internalization and transport of the virus via the endoplasmic reticulum to the nucleus. Here we show that the association of SV40 (as well as isolated pentameric VP1) with GM1 is itself sufficient to induce dramatic membrane curvature that leads to the formation of deep invaginations and tubules not only in the plasma membrane of cells, but also in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Unlike native GM1 molecules with long acyl chains, GM1 molecular species with short hydrocarbon chains failed to support such invagination, and endocytosis and infection did not occur. To conceptualize the experimental data, a physical model was derived based on energetic considerations. Taken together, our analysis indicates that SV40, other polyoma viruses and some bacterial toxins (Shiga and cholera) use glycosphingolipids and a common pentameric protein scaffold to induce plasma membrane curvature, thus directly promoting their endocytic uptake into cells.
Nature Cell Biology 12/2009; 12(1):11-8; sup pp 1-12. · 19.49 Impact Factor
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Nikolas Friedrich,
Joana M Santos,
Yan Liu,
Angelina S Palma,
Ester Leon,
Savvas Saouros,
Makoto Kiso,
Michael J Blackman,
Stephen Matthews, Ten Feizi,
Dominique Soldati-Favre
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ABSTRACT: Numerous intracellular pathogens exploit cell surface glycoconjugates for host cell recognition and entry. Unlike bacteria and viruses, Toxoplasma gondii and other parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa actively invade host cells, and this process critically depends on adhesins (microneme proteins) released onto the parasite surface from intracellular organelles called micronemes (MIC). The microneme adhesive repeat (MAR) domain of T. gondii MIC1 (TgMIC1) recognizes sialic acid (Sia), a key determinant on the host cell surface for invasion by this pathogen. By complementation and invasion assays, we demonstrate that TgMIC1 is one important player in Sia-dependent invasion and that another novel Sia-binding lectin, designated TgMIC13, is also involved. Using BLAST searches, we identify a family of MAR-containing proteins in enteroparasitic coccidians, a subclass of apicomplexans, including T. gondii, suggesting that all these parasites exploit sialylated glycoconjugates on host cells as determinants for enteric invasion. Furthermore, this protein family might provide a basis for the broad host cell range observed for coccidians that form tissue cysts during chronic infection. Carbohydrate microarray analyses, corroborated by structural considerations, show that TgMIC13, TgMIC1, and its homologue Neospora caninum MIC1 (NcMIC1) share a preference for alpha2-3- over alpha2-6-linked sialyl-N-acetyllactosamine sequences. However, the three lectins also display differences in binding preferences. Intense binding of TgMIC13 to alpha2-9-linked disialyl sequence reported on embryonal cells and relatively strong binding to 4-O-acetylated-Sia found on gut epithelium and binding of NcMIC1 to 6'sulfo-sialyl Lewis(x) might have implications for tissue tropism.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 11/2009; 285(3):2064-76. · 4.77 Impact Factor
