Flexible neck in cell-receptor DC-SIGN targets more...( CHAMPAIGN Ill. Pathogen recognition...)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Pathogen recognition is the foundation of the body's immune response and survival against infection. A small cell-receptor protein called DC-SIGN is part of the immune system, and recognizes certain pathogens, including those responsible for Ebola, Dengue fever and HIV. How the molecule binds to pathogens has been unclear.
New findings from a research team led by University of Illinois chemist Deborah Leckband show that flexibility in the region near the binding sites of DC-SIGN plays a significant role in pathogen targeting and binding.
"Our work focuses on how DC-SIGN recognizes HIV and other pathogens, and on what structural features enable it to bind very tightly to those pathogens," said Leckband, the Reid T. Milner Professor of Chemistry at the U. of I. "Once we begin to understand the molecular design rules that lead to this tight binding, we can begin to design inhibitors to block this interaction."
To study the binding behavior of DC-SIGN (Dendritic Cell-Specific Intercellular adhesion molecule-3-Grabbing Non-integrin), also known as CD209 (Cluster of Differentiation 209), the researchers used a device called a surface force apparatus.
The surface force apparatus measures the molecular forces between two surfaces as they are first brought together and then pulled apart. In the current work, the surfaces were cell receptor DC-SIGN and a target membrane decorated with carbohydrates to mimic a pathogen surface.
The forces were measured as a function of the distance between the two surfaces, which was measured with single-angstrom resolution (an angstrom is 1 10-billionth of a meter).
"Our force-distance measurements provided the first direct, dynamic evidence for flexibility in the neck of DC-SIGN, and its possible role in pathogen recognition and binding," said Leckband, corresponding author of a paper accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
'/>"/>
| Contact: James E. Kloeppel kloeppel@illinois.edu 217-244-1073 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Flexible solar strips light up campus bus shelter
2. Generalist bacteria discovered in coastal waters may be more flexible than known before
3. e-Smart(R) Technologies, Inc., Announces Next Generation Superthin Polyimide Flexible Circuit Biometric Super Smart Card(TM) card, the i am(TM) Card.
4. IGERT fellows to design biodevices using flexible electronics
5. A quicker, cheaper SARS virus detector -- one easily customizable for other targets
6. Demonstration Targets Terrorism
7. Identifying mega-targets for high-yield plant breeding
8. UC Davis researchers find molecule that targets brain tumors
9. Modified gene targets cancer cells a thousand times more often than healthy cells
10. UQ research targets West Nile virus and dengue fever
11. New genes present drug targets for managing cholesterol and glucose levels
| Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |