We recently reported a Philyra pisum lectin (PPL) that exerts mitogenic effects on human lymphocytes, and its molecular characterization. The present study provides a more detailed characterization of PPL based on the results from a monosaccharide analysis indicating that PPL is a glycoprotein, and circular dichroism spectra revealing its estimated α-helix, β-sheet, β-turn, and random coil cont...

Two mutations concerned with mannan biosynthesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been mapping. The mnn2 mutation, which affects the addition to the polysaccharide backbone of the first side-chain D-mannose unit in alpha1-leads to2 linkage, was located on chromosome II linked to the centromere and the gall locus. The mn4 locus, which regulates the synthesis of mannosylphosphate groups...

Functionalized atomic force microscope tips were used to sense specific forces of interaction between ligand-receptor pairs and to map the positions of polysaccharides on a living microbial cell surface. Gold-coated tips were functionalized with concanavalin A using a cross-linker with a spacer arm of 15.6 A. It was possible to measure the binding force between concanavalin A and mannan polymer...

Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a large complex glycoprotein that is highly expressed in breast cancer, and as such could be a target for immunotherapy. In mice, human MUC1 is highly immunogenic, particularly when conjugated to mannan, where a high frequency of CD8(+) MHC-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes is induced, accompanied by tumor protection. On this basis, a clinical trial was performed in which 25 ...

The interaction of four lectins from crops of the legume family with Saccharomyces cerevisiae alpha-mannan, and also with two glycoenzymes containing mainly alpha-mannan moieties, has been studied. The interaction was characterized by a quantitative precipitation assay. The results of precipitation differ with respect to both quality (the point of maximum precipitation) and of the quantity (the...

The fungal cell possesses an essential carbohydrate cell wall. The outer layer, mannan, is formed by mannoproteins carrying highly mannosylated O- and N-linked glycans. Yeast mannan biosynthesis is initiated by a Golgi-located complex (M-Pol I) of two GT-62 mannosyltransferases, Mnn9p and Van1p, that are conserved in fungal pathogens. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans mnn9 knockouts...

Despite the fact that Candida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen and Dectin-2 is a major pattern recognition receptor for fungi, our knowledge regarding the role of Dectin-2 for the host defense against disseminated candidiasis is limited. Dectin-2 deficient (Dectin-2(-/-)) mice were more susceptible to systemic candidiasis, and the susceptibility was mirrored by an elevated fungal ...

Different levels of dietary mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) administered for 16 wk to commercial male turkeys were evaluated for their efficacy on performance and on microbial activity in the digestive tract. The following levels of MOS were used in a diet: low (0.1% during the entire study), medium (0.4 and 0.2% in the first and second 8-wk periods, respectively), and high (1.0 and 0.4% in the fi...

Endosperms from seeds of different subfamilies of Leguminosae were submitted to sequential aqueous and alkaline aqueous extractions. The extractions from species belonging to the Mimosoideae and Faboideae subfamilies yielded galactomannans with constant Man:Gal ratios, whereas the extractions from Caesalpinioideae seeds gave rise to galactomannans with increasing values of the Man:Gal ratio. Th...

BACKGROUND The applications of ligand-polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified nanocarriers have now emerged, as well as recognized strategies to provide the vectors with active targeting properties. In this research, premodification and postmodification were compared using the same ligand, ie, a novel conjugated mannan-containing PEG and L-α-phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). METHODS Premodified and p...