Glycobiology of Selectin / 한국유방암학회지

ABSTRACT

Selectins, carbohydrate-binding molecules, bind to fucosylated and sialylated glycoprotein ligands, and are found on endothelial cells, leukocytes and platelets. They can be classified into E-, L- and P-selectins, and are involved in trafficking of cells of the innate immune system, T lymphocytes and platelets via binding with specific ligands. An absence of selectins or selectin ligands has serious consequences in mice or humans, leading to recurrent bacterial infections and persistent disease. Selectins are involved in constitutive lymphocyte homing and chronic and acute inflammation processes, including post-ischemic inflammation in muscle, kidney, heart, skin inflammation, atherosclerosis, glomerulonephritis and lupus erythematosus. Selectin-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, recombinant soluble P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 and small-molecule inhibitors of selectins have been tested in clinical trials on patients with multiple trauma, cardiac indications and pediatric asthma, respectively. Anti-selectin antibodies have also been successfully used in preclinical models to deliver imaging contrast agents and therapeutics to sites of inflammation. The contributions of selectins and selectin ligands to signalling deserve further study, which will allow a much more detailed analysis of the contributions of selectins in models of inflammation, haemostasis, haematopoiesis, wound healing, atherogenesis, and tumor metastasis.