Critical role of the solvent environment in galectin-1 binding to the disaccharide lactose

Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a member of a family of evolutionarily conserved glycan-binding proteins, binds specifically to poly-N-acetyllactosamine-enriched glycoconjugates. Through interactions with these glycoconjugates, this protein modulates inflammatory responses and contributes to tumor progression a...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado: 2009
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_00062960_v48_n4_p786_DiLella
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00062960_v48_n4_p786_DiLella
Aporte de:
Descripción
Sumario:Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a member of a family of evolutionarily conserved glycan-binding proteins, binds specifically to poly-N-acetyllactosamine-enriched glycoconjugates. Through interactions with these glycoconjugates, this protein modulates inflammatory responses and contributes to tumor progression and immune cell homeostasis. The carbohydrate recognition domain includes the single protein tryptophan (Trp68). UV resonance Raman spectroscopy and molecular dynamic simulation were used to examine the change in the environment of the Trp on ligand binding. The UV Raman spectra and the calculated water radial distribution functions show that, while no large structural changes in the protein follow lactose binding, substantial solvent reorganization occurs. These new insights into the microscopic role of water molecules in Gal-1 binding to its specific carbohydrate ligands provides a better understanding of the physicochemical properties of Gal-1 - saccharide interactions, which will be useful for the design of synthetic inhibitors for therapeutic purposes. © 2009 American Chemical Society.