Advisor
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Maria Cristina Roque Antunes Barreira Ms 6 Tel.: (16) 3315-3062 Email: mcrbarre@fmrp.usp.br |
General outline
We investigate the role played by carbohydrate recognition in immune response.
Research areas
We study the effects of the recognition of carbohydrates expressed on cell surfaces on the modulation of immunity against pathogens. The proteins responsible for such recognition (lectins) identified for us as immunomodulatory agents are derived from different sources, such as plant (ArtinM from Artocarpus heterophyllus), parasite (TgMIC1 and TgMIC4 from Toxoplasma gondii), and pathogenic fungus (Paracoccina from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis). They also have different specificities for carbohydrate. Despite their diversity on origins and sugar binding-specificities, such immunomodulatory lectins share the property of interacting with glycans that are N-linked to the ectodomain of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), expressed on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells; this interaction triggers cell signaling and production of proinflammatory mediators, particularly IL-12. Such events result in the development of Th1 immunity, rendering these lectins able to confer protection against infections by intracellular pathogens. The pathogens elimination occurs with the contribution of additional interactions established by some of the studied lectins with glycosylated receptors expressed in neutrophils (CXCR2), mast cells (FcεR) and lymphocytes (CD3). Given the possible applicability of such lectins, or analogous substances, in the development of novel therapeutic strategies, our laboratory has been engaged in studying their structural features, dissecting their sugar binding properties and exploring the mechanisms involved in their action on innate and adaptive immune cells.
Publications
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