Alkaline phosphatase has been coupled to Griffonia simplicifolia I B4 isolectin using a one-step glutaraldehyde conjugation procedure. This enzyme-lectin conjugate (AP-GS I-B4) has been used to specifically detect plastic-bound natural and synthetic glycoproteins bearing alpha-D-galactopyranosyl end groups. The extent of reactivity of the AP-GS I-B4 with the glycoproteins appears to be proporti...

Three types of ficolins have been identified in humans: L-ficolin, M-ficolin, and H-ficolin. Similar to mannose-binding lectin, L-ficolin and H-ficolin are the recognition molecules in the lectin complement pathway. Another human ficolin, M-ficolin, is a nonserum ficolin that is expressed in leukocytes and lung; however, little is known about its physiologic roles. In this study, we report the ...

Structural studies of oligosaccharide chains of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in serum have revealed a specific galactosylation deficiency associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Using a two-site lectin-immunofluorometric assay, I studied the interaction of IgG with immobilized lectins. Compared with control IgG, IgG purified from RA patients' sera bound up to 40-fold more strongly to immobilized B...

Mucin-type glycosylation [α-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (α-GalNAc)-O-Ser/Thr] on proteins is initiated biosynthetically by 16 homologous isoforms of GalNAc-Ts (uridine diphosphate-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases). All the GalNAc-Ts consist of a catalytic domain and a lectin domain. Previous reports of GalNAc-T assays toward peptides and α-GalNAc glycopeptides showed that the ...

Pattern recognition receptors (PPRs) are part of the initial step of a host defense against pathogens in detecting pathogen-associated molecular patterns. However, determinants of the specificity of this recognition by innate immune molecules of invertebrates remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the potential involvement of an invertebrate PRR C-type lectin in the antimicrobia...

Mucins and mucin-type glycoproteins, collectively referred to as mucin-type O-glycans, are implicated in many important biological functions and pathological conditions, including malignancy. Presently, there is no reliable method to measure the total mucin-type O-glycans of a sample, which may contain one or more of these macromolecules of unknown structures. We report the development of an im...

Antibodies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lectin, PAIIL, which is a virulence factor mediating the bacteria binding to epithelium cells, were prepared in chickens and purified from egg yolks. To examine these antibodies as a prophylactic agent preventing the adhesion of PA we developed a well plate assay based on fluorescently labeled bacteria and immortalized epithelium cell lines derived...