Hirabayashi Jun, Tateno Hiroaki, Shikanai Toshihide, Aoki-Kinoshita Kiyoko F, Narimatsu Hisashi
Research Center for Stem Cell Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central-2, 1-1-1, Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan.
Research Center for Medical Glycoscience, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central-2, 1-1-1, Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan.
Molecules. 2015 Jan 8;20(1):951-73. doi: 10.3390/molecules20010951.
Lectins are a large group of carbohydrate-binding proteins, having been shown to comprise at least 48 protein scaffolds or protein family entries. They occur ubiquitously in living organisms-from humans to microorganisms, including viruses-and while their functions are yet to be fully elucidated, their main underlying actions are thought to mediate cell-cell and cell-glycoconjugate interactions, which play important roles in an extensive range of biological processes. The basic feature of each lectin's function resides in its specific sugar-binding properties. In this regard, it is beneficial for researchers to have access to fundamental information about the detailed oligosaccharide specificities of diverse lectins. In this review, the authors describe a publicly available lectin database named "Lectin frontier DataBase (LfDB)", which undertakes the continuous publication and updating of comprehensive data for lectin-standard oligosaccharide interactions in terms of dissociation constants (Kd's). For Kd determination, an advanced system of frontal affinity chromatography (FAC) is used, with which quantitative datasets of interactions between immobilized lectins and >100 fluorescently labeled standard glycans have been generated. The FAC system is unique in its clear principle, simple procedure and high sensitivity, with an increasing number (>67) of associated publications that attest to its reliability. Thus, LfDB, is expected to play an essential role in lectin research, not only in basic but also in applied fields of glycoscience.
凝集素是一大类碳水化合物结合蛋白，已显示至少包含48种蛋白质支架或蛋白质家族条目。它们普遍存在于从人类到微生物（包括病毒）的生物体中，虽然它们的功能尚未完全阐明，但人们认为它们的主要潜在作用是介导细胞 - 细胞和细胞 - 糖缀合物相互作用，这在广泛的生物过程中发挥着重要作用。每种凝集素功能的基本特征在于其特定的糖结合特性。在这方面，让研究人员能够获取有关各种凝集素详细寡糖特异性的基本信息是有益的。在这篇综述中，作者描述了一个名为“凝集素前沿数据库（LfDB）”的公开可用凝集素数据库，该数据库负责持续发布和更新关于凝集素 - 标准寡糖相互作用解离常数（Kd）的综合数据。对于Kd的测定，使用了先进的前沿亲和色谱（FAC）系统，通过该系统已生成了固定化凝集素与100多种荧光标记标准聚糖之间相互作用的定量数据集。FAC系统的原理清晰、程序简单且灵敏度高，有越来越多（>67）的相关出版物证明了其可靠性。因此，LfDB有望在凝集素研究中发挥重要作用，不仅在糖科学的基础领域，而且在应用领域。
