Many biological effects of complex carbohydrates are mediated by lectins that contain discrete carbohydrate-recognition domains. At least seven structurally distinct families of carbohydrate-recognition domains are found in lectins that are involved in intracellular trafficking, cell adhesion, cell–cell signalling, glycoprotein turnover and innate immunity. Genome-wide analysis of potential carbohydrate-binding domains is now possible. Two classes of intracellular lectins involved in glycoprotein trafficking are present in yeast, model invertebrates and vertebrates, and two other classes are present in vertebrates only. At the cell surface, calcium-dependent (C-type) lectins and galectins are found in model invertebrates and vertebrates, but not in yeast; immunoglobulin superfamily (I-type) lectins are only found in vertebrates. The evolutionary appearance of different classes of sugar-binding protein modules parallels a development towards more complex oligosaccharides that provide increased opportunities for specific recognition phenomena. An overall picture of the lectins present in humans can now be proposed. Based on our knowledge of the structures of several of the C-type carbohydrate-recognition domains, it is possible to suggest ligand-binding activity that may be associated with novel C-type lectin-like domains identified in a systematic screen of the human genome. Further analysis of the sequences of proteins containing these domains can be used as a basis for proposing potential biological functions.
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October 2002
Issue Editors
Conference Article|
October 01 2002
Genomic analysis of C-type lectins
Kurt Drickamer;
Kurt Drickamer
1
1Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail [email protected]).
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Andrew J. Fadden
Andrew J. Fadden
1Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Online ISSN: 1744-1439
Print ISSN: 0067-8694
© 2002 The Biochemical Society
2002
Biochem Soc Symp (2002) 69: 59–72.
Citation
Kurt Drickamer, Anne Dell, Kurt Drickamer, Andrew J. Fadden; Genomic analysis of C-type lectins. Biochem Soc Symp 1 October 2002; 69 59–72. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bss0690059
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