Because only 10% of individuals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis will eventually develop disease, antigens that are recognized differently by the immune systems of infected healthy and diseased subjects may constitute potential vaccine candidates. Here, the heparin-binding hemagglutinin adhesin (HBHA) is identified as such an antigen. Lymphocytes from 60% of healthy infected individuals...

The binding of heparin to human monocytes and the monocytoid cell line U937 was characterized. Heparin binding was rapid. specific. saturable. and reversible. There was a single class of heparin binding sites. with an apparent dissociation constant of 0.19 Mmol/L and 1 .9 x 1 0 sites per cell. The binding was not dependent on the anticoagulant property of heparin. Analysis of surfaceiodinated c...

The contribution of individual basic amino acids within three putative "consensus sequences" for heparin binding of fibroblast growth factor-1 have been examined by site-directed mutagenesis. The results indicate that a significant reduction in the apparent affinity of fibroblast growth factor-1 for heparin is only observed when basic residues in one of the three regions are mutated. Mutation i...

BACKGROUND The clinical benefits of heparin reach beyond its anticoagulative properties. Recently, it has been described that leukocytes adhere on immobilized heparin mediated by the integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18, alphaMbeta2, or CR3). Because inhibition of this versatile adhesion molecule could explain various aspects of the beneficial clinical effects of heparin, we evaluated whether soluble hep...

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is a zoonotic pathogen whose association with Crohn's disease in humans is under scrutiny. The objective of this work was to investigate its association with other chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), where the involvement of a persistent pathogen such as M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis could be the trigger. For this purpose, 59 ...

The binding of heparin or heparan sulphate to a variety of cell types results in specific changes in cell function. Endothelial cells treated with heparin alter their synthesis of heparan sulphate proteoglycans and extracellular matrix proteins. In order to identify a putative endothelial cell heparin receptor that could be involved in heparin signalling, anti-(endothelial cell) monoclonal anti...

Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is characterized by accumulation of amyloid β2-microglobulin (β2m) in the interstitial matrix. Matrix substances such as heparin have reportedly been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of dialysis-related amyloidosis. In clinical setting of hemodialysis, two types of heparin, i.e., high and low molecular heparin (H.M.H. and L.M.H.) have been routinely use...

Recently, a new class of broadly neutralizing anti-influenza virus antibodies that target the stalk domain of the viral hemagglutinin was discovered. As such, induction, isolation, characterization, and quantification of these novel antibodies has become an area of intense research and great interest. Since most of these antibodies bind to conformational epitopes, the structural integrity of he...

From 2003 to 2013, Indonesia had the highest number of avian influenza A cases in humans, with 192 cases and 160 fatalities. Avian influenza is caused by influenza virus type A, such as subtype H5N1. This virus has two glycoproteins: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, which will become the primary target to be neutralized by vaccine. Vaccine is the most effective immunologic intervention. In this...

Heparin and related heparan sulfate interact with a number of cytokines and growth factors, thereby playing an essential role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes by involving both signal transduction and the regulation of the tissue distribution of cytokines/growth factors. Follistatin (FS) is an autocrine protein with a heparin-binding motif that serves to regulate the cell ...