Phosphorylcholine Substituents in Nematodes: Structures, Occurrence and Biological Implications
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Günter Lochnit
Abstract
Phosphorylcholine (PC), a small haptenic molecule, is found in a wide variety of prokaryotic organisms, i. e. bacteria, and in eukaryotic parasites such as nematodes, as well as in fungi. Linked to parasite-specific glycoprotein glycans or glycolipids, it is assumed to be responsible for a variety of immunological effects, including invasion mechanisms and long-term persistence of parasites within the host. Numerous reports have indicated various effects of PC-substituted molecules derived from parasitic nematodes on signal transduction pathways in B and T lymphocytes, displaying a highly adapted and profound modulation of the immune system by these parasites. The Nematoda, comprising parasitic and free-living species, can be regarded as promising prototypic systems for structural analyses, immunological studies and biosynthetic investigations. In this context, Ascaris suum, the pig parasitic nematode, is an ideal organism for immunological studies and an excellent source for obtaining large amounts of PC-substituted (macro)-molecules. Caenorhabditis elegans, as a completely genome-sequenced species and expressing parasite analogous PC-substituted structures, together with the possibility for easy in vitro cultivation, represents a conceptual model for biosynthetic studies, whereas filarial parasites represent important model systems for human pathogens, especially in developing countries. This review summarises current knowledge on the tissue-specific expression of PC epitopes, structural data of glycoprotein glycans and glycosphingolipids bearing this substituent and biological implications for the immune systems of the respective hosts.
Copyright © 2000 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
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Articles in the same Issue
- Alexander J. Varshavsky Felix Hoppe-Seyler Lecturer 2000
- The Ubiquitin System and the N-End Rule Pathway
- Paper of the Year 1999: Award to Igor Stagljar
- A Clockwork Organ
- The Transgeneticists Toolbox: Novel Methods for the Targeted Modification of Eukaryotic Genomes
- Interdependence of Filamentous Actin and Microtubules for Asymmetric Cell Division
- Genetic Analysis of Mammalian Cyclin-Dependent Kinases and Their Inhibitors
- Phosphorylcholine Substituents in Nematodes: Structures, Occurrence and Biological Implications
- Selenium in Biology: Facts and Medical Perspectives
- The Role of Se, Mo and Fe in the Structure and Function of Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase
- Molecular Basis for Interactions of the DnaK Chaperone with Substrates
- Protein Import: the Hitchhikers Guide into Chloroplasts
- Pathway Analysis and Metabolic Engineering in Corynebacterium glutamicum
- Metabolic Networks: a Signal-Oriented Approach to Cellular Models
- Representing and Analysing Molecular and Cellular Function Using the Computer
- Protein Aggregation and Pathogenesis of Huntingtons Disease: Mechanisms and Correlations
- The Mitochondrial Protein Import Motor
- The Immunoglobulin κ Gene Families of Human and Mouse: a Cottage Industry Approach
- Protein-Protein Interactions in Receptor Activation and Intracellular Signalling
- Molecular Genetic Analysis of Glucocorticoid Signaling Using the Cre/loxP System
- Macromolecular Intelligence in Microorganisms
- Thyroid Hormone Receptors Bind to an Element in the Connexin43 Promoter
- Analysis of the Deubiquitinating Enzymes of the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- Helical Tubes of FtsZ from Methanococcus jannaschii
- Surface Topography of Microtubule Walls Decorated with Monomeric and Dimeric Kinesin Constructs
- Histone Deacetylase Activity Is Required for the Induction of the MyoD Muscle Cell Lineage in Xenopus
- The Effect of Heat Shock on 20S/26S Proteasomes
- Sec61p Is the Main Ribosome Receptor in the Endoplasmic Reticulum of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
