Coding of bioinformation in glycans and transfer of this information via lectins is key to numerous physiological and pathological processes. Characterization of the lectins’ structure/function relationships is essential to understand their biological functions and paves the way to their pharmaceutical exploitation. A main focus is placed on galectins, a family of galactoside-binding lectins that are involved in immune and inflammatory responses, cancer and other biomedically relevant processes. Other proteins recently studied are the human macrophage Gal-specific lectin (a key receptor for the Tn carcinoma associated antigen) and different scFvs antibody fragments interacting with glycotopes involved in the rejection of xenotransplants.
Research partners: Profs. H-J Gabius (LMU Munich), J Jiménez-Barbero (CIC bioGUNE), and FJ Cañada (CIB-CSIC) and Dr. M Kilcoyne (NUI Galway).
Solís D, Bovin NV, Davis AP, Jiménez-Barbero J, Romero A, Roy R, Smetana K Jr, Gabius HJ. 2015. A guide into glycosciences: How chemistry, biochemistry and biology cooperate to crack the sugar code. 2015. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1850:186-235. PMID: 24685397
Ruiz FM, Scholz BA, Buzamet E, Kopitz J, André S, Menéndez M, Romero A, Solís D, Gabius HJ. 2014. Natural single amino acid polymorphism (F19Y) in human galectin-8: detection of structural alterations and increased growth-regulatory activity on tumor cells. FEBS J. 281(5):1446-64. PMID: 24418318
Ruiz, FM, Fernández IS, López-Merino L, Lagartera L, Kaltner H, Menéndez M, André S, Solís D, Gabius H-J, Romero A. 2013. Fine-tuning of prototype chicken galectins: Structure of CG-2 and structure-activity correlations. Acta Cryst. D: Biol. Cryst. 69: 1665-1676. PMID: 23999290
Gabius H-J, André S, Jiménez-Barbero J, Romero A and Solís D. 2011. From lectin structure to functional glycomics: principles of the sugar code. Trends Biochem Sci 36: 298-313. PMID: 21458998
Ermakova E, Millar MC, Nesmelova IV, López-Merino L, Berbís MA, Nesmelov Y, Tkachev YV, Lagartera L, Daragan VA, André S, Cañada FJ, Jiménez-Barbero J, Solís D Gabius H-J, Mayo KH. 2013. Lactose binding to human galectin-7 (p53-induced gene 1) induces long-range effects through the protein resulting in increased dimer stability and evidence for positive cooperativity. Glycobiology. 23: 508–523. PMID: 23376190
André S, Cañada FJ, Shiao TCh, Lagartera L, Diercks T, Bergeron-Brlek M, el Biari K, Papadopoulos A, Ribeiro JP, Touaibia M, Solís D, Menéndez M, Jiménez-Barbero J, Roy R, and Gabius H-J. 2012. Fluorinated carbohydrates as lectin ligands. biorelevant sensors with capacity to monitor anomer affinity in 19F-NMR-based inhibitor screening. Eur J Org Chem 23: 4354-4364. doi: 10.1002/ejoc.201200397
Solís D, Maté MJ, Lohr M, Ribeiro JP, López-Merino L, André S, Buzamet E, Cañada FJ, Kaltner H, Lensch M, Ruiz FM, Haroske G, Wollina U, Kloor M, Kopitz J, Sáiz JL, Menéndez M, Jiménez-Barbero J, Romero A and Gabius H-J. 2010. N-domain of human adhesion/growth-regulatory galectin-9: preference for distinct conformers and non-sialylated N-glycans and detection of ligand-induced structural changes in crystal and solution. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 42: 1019-1029. PMID: 20227520
López-Lucendo MF, Solís D, Sáiz JL, Kaltner H, Russwurm R, André S, Gabius H-J and Romero A. 2009. Homodimeric chicken galectin CG-1B: Crystal structure and detection of unique redox-dependent shape changes involving inter- and intrasubunit disulfide bridges by gel filtration, ultracentrifugation, site-directed mutagenesis and peptide fingerprinting. J Mol Biol 386: 366-378. PMID: 18848566
Kaltne, H, Solís D, Kopitz J, Lensch M, Lohr M, Manning JC, Mürnseer M, Schnölzer M, André S, Sáiz JL and Gabius HJ. 2008. Prototype chicken galectins revisited: characterization of a third protein with distinctive hydrodynamic behaviour and expression pattern in organs of adult animals. Biochem J. 409: 591-599. PMID: 17887955
Jiménez M. André S, Barillari C, Romero A, Rognan D, Gabius HJ. and Solís D. 2008. Domain versatility in plant AB-toxins: evidence for a local, pH-dependent rearrangement in the 2 lectin site of the mistletoe lectin by applying ligand derivatives and modelling. FEBS Lett, 582: 2309-2312. PMID: 18519041
López-Lucendo MF, Solís D, Sáiz JL, Kaltner H, Russwurm R, André S, Gabius HJ and Romero A. 2008. Homodimeric Chicken Galectin CG-1B: Crystal Structure and Detection of Unique Redox-Dependent Shape Changes Involving Intersubunit and Intrasubunit Disulfide Bridges by Gel Filtration, Ultracentrifugation, Site-Directed Mutagenesis, and Peptide Mass Fingerprinting. J Mol Biol. 386: 366-378. PMID: 18848566
Jiménez M, André S, Siebert HC, Gabius HJ, Solís D. 2006. AB-type lectin (toxin/agglutinin) from mistletoe: differences in affinity of the two galactoside-binding Trp/Tyr-sites and regulation of their functionality by monomer/dimer equilibrium. Glycobiology 16:926-37. PMID: 16774910
Jiménez M, Sáiz JL, André S, Gabius HJ, Solís D. 2005. Monomer/dimer equilibrium of the AB-type lectin from mistletoe enables combination of toxin/agglutinin activities in one protein: analysis of native and citraconylated proteins by ultracentrifugation/gel filtration and cell biological consequences of dimer destabilization. Glycobiology 15:1386-95. PMID: 16037489