Biochemistry Commons^™

Regulation Of The Lipid Raft Localization Of The Gal/Galnac Lectin, An Adhesin On The Surface Of The Human Protozoan Parasite, Entamoeba Histolytica, Amanda Goldston

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Lipid rafts, sterol- and sphingolipid-rich membrane microdomains, have been shown to control virulence in a variety of parasites including Entamoeba histolytica, an intestinal parasite that causes dysentery and liver abscess. Parasite cell surface receptors, such as the Gal/GalNAc lectin, facilitate attachment to host cells and extracellular matrix. The Gal/GalNAc lectin binds to galactose or N-acetylgalactosamine residues on host components, and is composed of heavy (Hgl), intermediate (Igl), and light (Lgl) subunits. Although Igl is constitutively localized to lipid rafts, Hgl and Lgl transiently associate with this compartment in a cholesterol-dependent fashion. Exposure to bonafide Gal/GalNAc lectin ligands is associated with …