Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Clinical Analysis, Toxicological and Bromatological, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.
Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2442:517-531. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2055-7_27.
Over a century ago, Karl Landsteiner discovered that blood group antigens could predict the immunological outcome of red blood cell transfusion. While the discovery of ABO(H) blood group antigens revolutionized transfusion medicine, many questions remain regarding the development and regulation of naturally occurring anti-blood group antibody formation. Early studies suggested that blood group antibodies develop following stimulation by bacteria that express blood group antigens. While this may explain the development of anti-blood group antibodies in blood group-negative individuals, how blood group-positive individuals protect themselves against blood group-positive microbes remained unknown. Recent studies suggest that several members of the galectin family specifically target blood group-positive microbes, thereby providing innate immune protection against blood group antigen-positive microbes regardless of the blood group status of an individual. Importantly, subsequent studies suggest that this unique form of immunity may not be limited to blood group expressing microbes, but may reflect a more generalized form of innate immunity against molecular mimicry. As this form of antimicrobial activity represents a unique and unprecedented form of immunity, we will examine important considerations and methodological approaches that can be used when seeking to ascertain the potential antimicrobial activity of various members of the galectin family.
一个多世纪前，卡尔·兰德施泰纳发现血液组抗原可以预测红细胞输血的免疫结果。虽然 ABO(H) 血型抗原的发现彻底改变了输血医学，但关于天然存在的抗血型抗体形成的发展和调节仍有许多问题尚未解决。早期研究表明，血型抗体是在表达血型抗原的细菌刺激下产生的。虽然这可以解释血型阴性个体中抗血型抗体的发展，但血型阳性个体如何防止自身免受血型阳性微生物的侵害仍不清楚。最近的研究表明，半乳糖凝集素家族的几个成员专门针对血型阳性微生物，从而为个体的血型阳性微生物提供先天免疫保护，而不管其血型状态如何。重要的是，随后的研究表明，这种独特的免疫形式可能不仅限于表达血型的微生物，而是可能反映出针对分子模拟的更普遍形式的先天免疫。由于这种形式的抗菌活性代表了一种独特且前所未有的免疫形式，因此我们将研究在寻求确定半乳糖凝集素家族的各种成员的潜在抗菌活性时可以使用的重要考虑因素和方法学方法。
