Biochemistry & Analytical Biochemistry

Innate immunity against microbial glycan molecular mimicry

Global Congress on Biochemistry, Glycomics & Amino Acids

December 08-09, 2016 San Antonio, USA

Sean Stowell

Emory University School of Medicine, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Biochem Anal Biochem

Abstract:

Adaptive immunity provides the unique ability to respond to a nearly infinite range of antigenic determinants. Given the inherent plasticity of the adaptive immune system, a series of tolerance mechanisms exist to reduce reactivity toward self. While this reduces the probability of autoimmunity, it also creates an important gap in adaptive immunity: the ability to recognize microbes that look like self. As a variety of microbes appear to decorate themselves in self-like carbohydrate antigens and adaptive immunity is tolerized against self-like structures, protection against molecular mimicry likely resides within the innate arm of immunity. We will discuss recent findings regarding the ability of galectin family members to specifically target microbes that utilize molecular mimicry. These results suggest a novel mechanism of immunological protection against molecular mimicry that complements adaptive immunity.

Biography :

Email: srstowe@emory.edu