PNAS: Interpretation! Scientists are expected to use a new polysaccharose labeling strategy to uncover immune activation mechanisms in the liver!

October 27, 2020 // -- Human cells are wrapped in a membrane covered with a variety of sugar molecules called glycans, which play a critical role in the health and disease of the body, so it is particularly important to understand its characteristics, because of its unique features, scientists do not have many tools to study the function of polysaccharide molecules and their interactions in the body.
A recent study published in the international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences entitled "Mapping glycan-mediated galectin-3 interactions by live cellity proximity labeling", scientists from institutions such as the Scripps Institute have developed a new strategy to capture the interaction between polysaccharin molecules and special protein activators in human liver cells, allowing researchers to apply new technologies to understand the mechanisms of immune activation of liver disease. In the
paper, the researchers focused on a polysaccharin binding protein called semi-lactose coagulant-3(galectin-3), which allows them to catalog and analyze an array of semi-lactose coagulant-3s using two strategies: proximity marking and quantitative proteomics.
the study, researchers found hundreds of semi-lactose coagulant-3 interactions in astrocytes and immune cells in the living liver. Huang, a
researcher, said these interactions evade scientists' traditional searches because of weak affinity and dynamic binding events, and the findings suggest that researchers will be given new ways to treat a variety of diseases based on glycosylation-mediated events, especially liver fibrosis and autoimmune diseases.
Photo Source: scitecheuropa.eu cells communicate with each other by releasing a variety of molecular signals, such as a signal molecule called semi-lactose coagulant-3, which activates the body's inflammatory response after a viral infection, and also creates a build-up of scar tissue after tissue damage.
To do this, at the biochemic level, polysaccharide binding proteins must be adsorbed to their membranes, just as fishermen's wire hooks swim through thick seaweed in search of prey, and determining which hook is suitable for which glycoproteins is a necessary step in addressing the root causes of many diseases.
the study, researchers designed a chemical fishing exploration tool to search for semi-lactose coagulant-3, and suggested that an enzyme called APEX2 be tied to a semi-lactose coagulant-3 molecule because of its Relatively small volumes and the ability to remain active inside and outside the cells, the researchers then allowed the paired molecules to spread freely to the cells, and then added the chemical biophenols and hydrogen peroxide to create highly active labels that tagged and bind the complex so that it could be more easily identified and analyzed for properties.
The liver plays a key role in human health, processing nutrients and drugs absorbed by the body and helping to remove toxins that break down alcohol, while also helping to store and release fat and sugar when the body is energy-rich and scarce, and the liver can make bile to help the body digest quickly.
Over time, the liver can suffer from a variety of conditions, including alcoholism, autoimmune diseases, substance abuse, or viral hepatitis, which can trigger liver fibrosis, which can lead to chronic hypertension, cirrhosis, and even liver failure.
The occurrence of this unhealthy cascading event involves the interaction between macrophages in the liver and liver cells that store lipids, and when liver macrophages activate liver star cells by releasing semi-lactose coagulation-3, they induce cascading events, while the release of semi-lactose coagulation-3 on their glycosin-receiving bodies induces star cells to leak collagen and make other changes.
This signal, called semi-lactose coagulation-3, is not just the driving force needed for liver fibrosis, it also plays a key role in other cells, especially in other immune system cells that help the body fight infection, cancer and damage.
, a researcher, said it's worth noting that multiple proteins play a critical role in the body's innate and adaptive immune response.
The discovery of multiple semi-lactose coagulant-3 subjects also raises many questions and ideas for later studies, and later researchers will continue to delve into a list of proteins that are a priority for research and study these proteins to illustrate their key role in the body's immunomodulation and activation of star cells in the liver.
() References: Eugene Joeh, Timothy O'Leary, Weichao Li, et al. Mapping glycan-mediated galectin-3 interactions by live cell proximity labeling, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). doi:10.1073/pnas.2009206117.2 Immune in the liver illuminated with new glycan-tagging strategyby The Scripps Research Institute