McCabe M M, Hamelik R M
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1978;107:749-59. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-3369-2_84.
We have isolated a series of five proteins which appear to possess characteristic individual capacities for synthesizing dextrans and binding dextrans. Our suggestion that these proteins comprise an isozyme-like distribution of lectin and enzyme activities is, of course, very speculative and remains to be rigourously confirmed. However, the very identification of these several dextran binding proteins provides a biochemical basis to explain numerous observations suggesting that more than one mechanism for dextran binding is possessed by S. mutans (for instance: 24-27), especially the observations with mutants (24). These proteins probably are the molecular determinants of host infection by S. mutans and may prove to be potent immunogens for use in a vaccine. The presence of a dextran-binding lectin in S. mutans implicates this bacterial lectin in the earliest stage of infection: Attachment to host tissues. The multiplicity of proteins possessing characteristic dextran-synthesizing and dextran-binding capacities indicates the complexity of the adherence mechanisms evolved in S. mutans. Experiments with other bacteria (10-12, 28) suggest that bacterial lectins, in concert with host tissue carbohydrates, may be the molecular mediators of host recognition and subsequent initial attachment of bacterial cells to host tissues in non-pathogenic as well as pathogenic bacteria.
我们已经分离出一系列五种蛋白质，它们似乎具有合成葡聚糖和结合葡聚糖的独特能力。当然，我们认为这些蛋白质构成了凝集素和酶活性的同工酶样分布的观点非常具有推测性，仍有待严格证实。然而，这些几种葡聚糖结合蛋白的鉴定为解释许多观察结果提供了生化基础，这些观察结果表明变形链球菌具有不止一种葡聚糖结合机制（例如：参考文献24 - 27），特别是对突变体的观察（参考文献24）。这些蛋白质可能是变形链球菌感染宿主的分子决定因素，并且可能被证明是用于疫苗的有效免疫原。变形链球菌中存在葡聚糖结合凝集素表明这种细菌凝集素在感染的最早阶段起作用：附着于宿主组织。具有特征性葡聚糖合成和葡聚糖结合能力的多种蛋白质表明变形链球菌进化出的黏附机制很复杂。对其他细菌的实验（参考文献10 - 12、28）表明，细菌凝集素与宿主组织碳水化合物协同作用，可能是宿主识别以及非致病性和致病性细菌的细菌细胞随后最初附着于宿主组织的分子介质。
