Galectins, a family of β-galactoside-specific endogenous lectins, are involved in regulating diverse activities such as proliferation/apoptosis, cell—cell (matrix) interaction and cell migration. It is presently unclear to what extent the carbohydrate fine specificities of the combining sites of mammalian galectins overlap. To address this issue, we performed an analysis of the carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD-I) near the N-terminus of recombinant rat galectin-4 (G4-N) by the biotin/avidin-mediated microtitre plate lectin-binding assay with natural glycoproteins (gps)/polysaccharide and by the inhibition of galectin—glycan interactions with a panel of glycosubstances. Among the 35 glycans tested for lectin binding, G4-N reacted best with human blood group ABH precursor gps, and asialo porcine salivary gps, which contain high densities of the blood group Ii determinants Galβ1-3GalNAc (the mucin-type sugar sequence on the human erythrocyte membrane) and/or GalNAcα1-Ser/Thr (Tn), whereas this lectin domain reacted weakly or not at all with most sialylated gps. Among the oligosaccharides tested by the inhibition assay, Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glc was the best. It was 666.7 and 33.3 times more potent than Gal and Galβ1-3GlcNAc, respectively. G4-N has a preference for the β-anomer of Gal at the non-reducing ends of oligosaccharides with a Galβ1-3 linkage, over Galβ1-4 and Galβ1-6. The fraction of Tn glycopeptide from asialo ovine submandibular glycoprotein was 8.3 times more active than Galβ1-3GlcNAc. The overall carbohydrate specificity of G4-N can be defined as Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glc (lacto-N-tetraose)>Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-3Galβ1-4Glc (lacto-N-neo-tetraose) and Tn clusters>Galβ1-4Glc and GalNAcβ1-3Gal>Galβ1-3GalNAc>Galβ1-3GlcNAc>Galβ1-4GlcNAc>GalNAc>Gal. The definition of this binding profile provides the basis to detect differential binding properties relative to the other galectins with ensuing implications for functional analysis.
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November 2002
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Research Article|
November 01 2002
Fine specificity of domain-I of recombinant tandem-repeat-type galectin-4 from rat gastrointestinal tract (G4-N)
Albert M. WU;
Albert M. WU
1
∗Glyco-Immunochemistry Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, 333, Taiwan
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail amwu@mail.cgu.edu.tw).
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June H. WU;
June H. WU
†Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, 333, Taiwan
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Ming-Sung TSAI;
Ming-Sung TSAI
∗Glyco-Immunochemistry Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, 333, Taiwan
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Jia-Hau LIU;
Jia-Hau LIU
∗Glyco-Immunochemistry Research Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chang-Gung University, Kwei-san, Tao-yuan, 333, Taiwan
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Sabine ANDRÉ;
Sabine ANDRÉ
‡Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Veterinärstrasse 13, D-80539 Munich, Germany,
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Kojiro WASANO;
Kojiro WASANO
§Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Herbert KALTNER;
Herbert KALTNER
‡Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Veterinärstrasse 13, D-80539 Munich, Germany,
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Hans-Joachim GABIUS
Hans-Joachim GABIUS
‡Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Veterinärstrasse 13, D-80539 Munich, Germany,
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
April 16 2002
Revision Received:
July 09 2002
Accepted:
July 22 2002
Accepted Manuscript online:
July 22 2002
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
The Biochemical Society, London ©2002
2002
Biochem J (2002) 367 (3): 653–664.
Article history
Received:
April 16 2002
Revision Received:
July 09 2002
Accepted:
July 22 2002
Accepted Manuscript online:
July 22 2002
Citation
Albert M. WU, June H. WU, Ming-Sung TSAI, Jia-Hau LIU, Sabine ANDRÉ, Kojiro WASANO, Herbert KALTNER, Hans-Joachim GABIUS; Fine specificity of domain-I of recombinant tandem-repeat-type galectin-4 from rat gastrointestinal tract (G4-N). Biochem J 1 November 2002; 367 (3): 653–664. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bj20020600
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