Humans must fight off microbes that they encounter in the environment. Means of distinguishing between host and microbial guests are required, but the molecular mechanisms by which such distinctions are made have not been fully elucidated. The glycans displayed on mammalian cell surfaces can differ markedly from those on microbes. Human intelectin-1 (hIntL-1), a lectin of the X-type class, is found at mucosal barriers (the lung and the intestine) and human mutations in the gene encoding hIntL-1 are associated with asthma and Crohn’s Disease. The lectin discriminates between microbial and human glycans using a unique mode of recognition: Rather than binding a single glycan moiety or related glycan epitopes, hIntL-1 binds a substructure found on the surface of many microbes. Analysis by X-ray crystallography reveals the molecular basis for the lectin’s paradoxical ability to bind many microbial glycans but yet avoid interaction with human glycans. The selectivity of this human protein suggests it functions in microbial surveillance.

Us versus them: A lectin as a microbial cell surface detector

251st National Meeting (2016)

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