1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Biochemical and molecular biological studies on animal lectins
| Project/Area Number |
04680172
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
物質生物化学
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| Research Institution | Teikyo University |
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Principal Investigator |
KASAI Ken-ichi Teikyo Univ., Fac.Pharm.Sci., Professor, 薬学部, 教授 (40001052)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
ARATA Yoichiro Teikyo Univ., Fac.Pharm.Sci., Assistant Professor, 薬学部, 助手 (90246017)
HIRABAYASHI Jun Teikyo Univ., Fac.Pharm.Sci., Assistant Professor, 薬学部, 助手 (40156691)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1992 – 1993
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| Keywords | lectin / galactoside / nematode / C.elegans / glycoconjugate / carbohycrate-binding protein |
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| Research Abstract |
This research project was aimed to elucidate biological significance of not only animal metal-independent beta-galactoside-binding lectin (galectin) but also complex carbohydrates. Vertebrate galectins (human and chicken) and nematode galectin (C.elegans) were studied from a variety of viewpoints. A procedure which enables large-scale production of a recombinant human galectin in E.coli was established. This also enabled to produce a number of mutant lectins by site-directed mutagenesis, and roles of conserved amino acid residues were clarified. One of the mutants proved to be extremely useful because it acquired significant stability which promise success of a variety of experiments which had been difficult because of the instability of the natural galectin. The role of galectin in morphogenesis of the skin during the development of chick embryo was studied in detail by immunohistochemical technique. The nematode galectin is the first galectin found in invertebrates. We determined its complete primary structure, cloned its cDNA and established a production system of its recombinant protein in E.coli. The nematode galectin proved to be composed of tandemly repeated two homologous domains. Production of each half molecule by gene engineering revealed that both have saccharide-binding ability. Distribution of the galectin during embryogenesis of C.elegans was also studied by immunohistochemistry, and interesting observations are now accumulating.
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