Specificity of widely used lectins as probed with oligosaccharide and plant polysaccharide arrays.

Glycan-binding specificity was studied for Jacalin, RCA 120, SBA, PHA-L, PHA-E, WGA, UEA, AAL, LTL, LEL, SNA, DSA, LCA, MAH and Con A, lectins widely used in histochemistry. Oligosaccharide- and polysaccharide-based glycan arrays were applied. Expected specificity was confirmed for only 6 of the 15 lectins and the glycan binding profiles of some lectins were dramatically broader than generally accepted.

Surface Glycans of Microvesicles Derived from Endothelial Cells, as Probed Using Plant Lectins.

Glycans of MVs are proposed to be candidates for mediating targeting specificity or at least promoting it. In contrast to exosomes, glycomic studies of MVs are largely absent. We studied the glycoprofile of endothelial cell-derived MVs using 21 plant lectins, and the results show the dominance of oligolactosamines and their α2-6-sialylated forms as N-glycans and low levels of α2-3-sialylated glycans.

Repertoire of glycan-binding placenta-associated antibodies in healthy pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia.

A possible mechanism of the immune tolerance in pregnancy is production of blocking antibodies which reside in placenta and protect foetal allogeneic cells from the mother's immune system. Their epitope specificity, as well as the nature of the biomolecules masked by them, is unknown. For better understanding of this phenomenon, we attempted to characterize the specificity of antibodies isolated from placentas of women with healthy pregnancy and pre-eclampsia (PE).

Specificity profile of αGal antibodies in αGalT KO mice as probed with comprehensive printed glycan array: Comparison with human anti-Galili antibodies.

Background: The α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout (GalT KO) mice are able to produce natural anti-αGal antibodies apparently without any specific immunization. GalT KO mice are commonly used as a model immunological system for studying anti-αGal responses to Gal-positive xenografts in human. In this study, we compared the specificity of mouse and human αGal antibodies to realize the adequacy of the murine model.

Are there specific antibodies against Neu5Gc epitopes in the blood of healthy individuals?

Strong discrepancies in published data on the levels and epitope specificities of antibodies against the xenogenic N-glycolyl forms of sialoglycans (Hanganutziu-Deicher Neu5Gcɑ2-3Galβ1-4Glc and related antigens) in healthy donors prompted us to carry out a systematic study in this area using the printed glycan array and other methods. This article summarizes and discusses our published and previously unpublished data, as well as publicly available data from the Consortium for Functional Glycomics. As a result, we conclude that (1) the level of antibodies referred to as anti-Neu5Gc in healthy individuals is low; (2) there are antibodies that seem to interact with Neu5Gc-containing epitopes, but in fact they recognize internal fragments of Neu5Gc-containing glycans (without sialic acids), which served as antigens in the assays used and; (3) a population capable of interacting specifically with Neu5Gc (it does not bind the corresponding NAc analogs) does exist, but it binds the monosaccharide Neu5Gc better than the entire glycans containing it.

Printed Glycan Array: A Sensitive Technique for the Analysis of the Repertoire of Circulating Anti-carbohydrate Antibodies in Small Animals.

The repertoire of circulating anti-carbohydrate antibodies of a given individual is often associated with its immunological status. Not only the individual immune condition determines the success in combating internal and external potential threat signals, but also the existence of a particular pattern of circulating anti-glycan antibodies (and their serological level variation) could be a significant marker of the onset and progression of certain pathological conditions. Here, we describe a Printed Glycan Array (PGA)-based methodology that offers the opportunity to measure hundreds of glycan targets with very high sensitivity; using a minimal amount of sample, which is a common restriction present when small animals (rats, mice, hamster, etc.

Repertoire of Abs primed by bacteria in gnotobiotic mice.

Innate immunity natural Abs (NAbs) execute a number of functions, including protection and surveillance. Despite active research, the stimuli that induce the formation of NAbs are still described only hypothetically. Here, we compared repertoires of anti-glycan Abs in the peripheral blood of mice that received per os various bacteria.