The immune role of C-type lectins in molluscs

Authors

  • L Wang Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
  • L Wang Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China ; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • M Huang Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China ; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • H Zhang Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
  • L Song Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China

Keywords:

molluscs, C-type lectin, carbohydrate-recognition domain, non-self recognition, agglutination, phagocytosis, encapsulation

Abstract

The phylum Mollusca is one of the largest and most important group in the animal kingdom.
Recently, interest in molluscan immunity has increased due to their importance in worldwide
aquaculture, their role in aquatic environmental science and their phylogenetic position, and a great number of immune molecules have been identified and characterized from molluscs. C-type lectins are a superfamily of diverse proteins with one or more carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) of ~130 amino acid residues. They recognize and bind to terminal sugars on glycoproteins and glycolipids and function in non-self recognition and clearance of invaders. This chapter provides a short review of C-type lectins in molluscs, including their structure, function and possible use in science and technology.

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Published

2011-12-07

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2011)

Section

Minireview