Ruiz Mario
Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Front Physiol. 2021 Jun 8;12:686251. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.686251. eCollection 2021.
α-acid glycoprotein (AGP), also known as Orosomucoid (ORM), belongs to the Lipocalin protein family and it is well-known for being a positive acute-phase protein. AGP is mostly found in plasma, with the liver as main contributor, but it is also expressed in other tissues such as the brain or the adipose tissue. Despite the vast literature on AGP, the physiological functions of the protein remain to be elucidated. A large number of activities mostly related to protection and immune system modulation have been described. Recently created AGP-knockout models have suggested novel physiological roles of AGP, including regulation of metabolism. AGP has an outstanding ability to efficiently bind endogenous and exogenous small molecules that together with the complex and variable glycosylation patterns, determine AGP functions. This review summarizes and discusses the recent findings on AGP structure (including glycans), ligand-binding ability, regulation, and physiological functions of AGP. Moreover, this review explores possible molecular and functional connections between AGP and other members of the Lipocalin protein family.
α-酸性糖蛋白（AGP），也称为orosomucoid（ORM），属于脂质运载蛋白家族，它作为一种阳性急性期蛋白而广为人知。AGP主要存在于血浆中，肝脏是其主要来源，但它也在其他组织中表达，如大脑或脂肪组织。尽管关于AGP的文献众多，但其蛋白质的生理功能仍有待阐明。已经描述了大量主要与保护和免疫系统调节相关的活性。最近创建的AGP基因敲除模型提示了AGP的新生理作用，包括代谢调节。AGP具有出色的能力，能有效结合内源性和外源性小分子，这些小分子与复杂且可变的糖基化模式共同决定了AGP的功能。本综述总结并讨论了关于AGP结构（包括聚糖）、配体结合能力、调节以及AGP生理功能的最新发现。此外，本综述探讨了AGP与脂质运载蛋白家族其他成员之间可能的分子和功能联系。
