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A novel fucose recognition fold involved in innate immunity

Nature Structural Biology volume 9, pages 628–634 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Anguilla anguilla agglutinin (AAA), a fucolectin found in the serum of European eel, participates in the recognition of bacterial liposaccharides by the animal innate immunity system. Because AAA specifically recognizes fucosylated terminals of H and Lewis (a) blood groups, it has been used extensively as a reagent in blood typing and histochemistry. AAA contains a newly discovered carbohydrate recognition domain present in proteins of organisms ranging from bacteria to vertebrates. The crystal structure of the complex of AAA with a-L-fucose characterizes the novel fold of this entire lectin family, identifying the residues that provide the structural determinants of oligosaccharide specificity. Modification of these residues explains how the different isoforms in serum can provide a diverse pathogen-specific recognition.

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Figure 1: The structure of the AAA in complex with α-L-fucose.
Figure 2: Fucose bound to the AAA-binding site.
Figure 3: Schematic representation of protein interactions with ligands.
Figure 4: Model of the interactions between AAA and a terminal fucosyl trisaccharide.
Figure 5: Structure-based sequence alignment of AAA with three proteins that share the AAA fold.
Figure 6: Sequence alignments of AAA with proteins of similar sequence.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Leahy and G. Hart for critical reviewing of the manuscript. This research is supported by a grant from National Institute of General Medical Sciences to L.M.A. and a grant from the National Science Foundation to G.R.V.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA

    Mario A. Bianchet & L. Mario Amzel

  2. Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, 21202, Maryland, USA

    Eric W. Odom & Gerardo R. Vasta

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  1. Mario A. Bianchet
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Correspondence to Mario A. Bianchet or L. Mario Amzel.

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Bianchet, M., Odom, E., Vasta, G. et al. A novel fucose recognition fold involved in innate immunity. Nat Struct Mol Biol 9, 628–634 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb817

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