Dual strategies for peptidoglycan discrimination by peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs).

ABSTRACT: The innate immune system constitutes the first line of defense against microorganisms in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Although much progress has been made toward identifying key receptors and understanding their role in host defense, far less is known about how these receptors recognize microbial ligands. Such studies have been severely hampered by the need to purify ligands from microbial sources and a reliance on biological assays, rather than direct binding, to monitor recognition. We used synthetic peptidoglycan (PGN) derivatives, combined with microcalorimetry, to define the binding specificities of human and insect peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs). We demonstrate that these innate immune receptors use dual strategies to distinguish between PGNs from different bacteri

SUBMITTER: Swaminathan CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1334652 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature