What is it about?
Lacto-N-biose I unit, which is made of two sugars connected by a certain kind of bond (Gal-beta1,3-GlcNAc), is one of the key sugar units involved in various biological events, such as interactions between pathogens and human cells, and symbiosis between humans and beneficial gut microbes. This paper watched through hundreds of such kind of examples and picked up several important and interesting features among them.
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Why is it important?
I found a typical conformational feature of the lacto-N-biose I units bound to pathogens such as norovirus, rotavirus, influenza virus, polyomavirus, Candida, Toxoplasma, and H. pylori. Some interesting features about the symbiotic nourishment of infant-associated health-promoting gut bacteria (bifidobacteria) by sugars in human breast milk were also found.
Perspectives
Understanding how the sugars (glycans) on our cells are recognized by pathogens and friendly microbes will help future development to prevent sickness and to improve our health.
Shinya Fushinobu
The University of Tokyo
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Conformations of the type-1 lacto-N-biose I unit in protein complex structures, Acta Crystallographica Section F Structural Biology Communications, July 2018, International Union of Crystallography,
DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x18006568.
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