RELEVANCE OF PROTEIN-GLYCAN INTERACTIONS ON B CELL IMMUNOBIOLOGY

TOSCANO MA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXII REUNIÓN ANUAL Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología; 2014

B cells have been traditionally regarded as key effectors of the immune response mainly due to their ability to differentiate into antibody producing cells. However, recent advances in B cell biology highlight their ability to regulate immune activation and homeostasis by acting as antigen presenting cells and by producing a broad variety of cytokines. Glycans cover the surfaces of all mammalian cells; they are added to protein and lipid backbones by the coordinated action of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases. Furthermore, regulated glycosylation of cell surface glycoproteins is a hallmark of immune cell activation and differentiation. Decoding the biological information of these glycosylation ?signatures? is a role assigned to endogenous glycan-binding proteins or lectins. Galectins are a family of glycan binding proteins whose expression patterns range from ubiquitous to cell-specific and have been extensively involved in the regulation of immune cell homeostasis and inflammation. In this talk we will explore the current knowledge on galectin-glycan interactions in B cell development, activation and differentiation, with particular consideration given to the role of these interactions in modulating effective responses against infection and autoimmune disease.