2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1461-1466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Garred

MBL (mannose-binding lectin) is primarily a liver-derived collagen-like serum protein. It binds sugar structures on micro-organisms and on dying host cells and is one of the four known mediators that initiate activation of the complement system via the lectin pathway. Common variant alleles situated both in promoter and structural regions of the human MBL gene (MBL2) influence the stability and the serum concentration of the protein. Epidemiological studies have suggested that genetically determined variations in MBL serum concentrations influence the susceptibility to and the course of different types of infectious, autoimmune, neoplastic, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, but this is still a subject under discussion. The fact that these genetic variations are very frequent, indicates a dual role of MBL. This overview summarizes the current molecular understanding of human MBL2 genetics.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 749-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Stravalaci ◽  
Daiana De Blasio ◽  
Franca Orsini ◽  
Carlo Perego ◽  
Alessandro Palmioli ◽  
...  

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a circulating protein that acts as a soluble pattern recognition molecule of the innate immunity. It binds to carbohydrate patterns on the surface of pathogens or of altered self-cells, with activation of the lectin pathway of the complement system. Recent evidence indicates that MBL contributes to the pathophysiology of ischemia-reperfusion injury and other conditions. Thus, MBL inhibitors offer promising therapeutic strategies, since they prevent the interaction of MBL with its target sugar arrays. We developed and characterized a novel assay based on surface plasmon resonance for in vitro screening of these compounds, which may be useful before the more expensive and time-consuming in vivo studies. The assay measures the inhibitor’s ability to interfere with the binding of murine MBL-A or MBL-C, or of human recombinant MBL, to mannose residues immobilized on the sensor chip surface. We have applied the assay to measure the IC50 of synthetic glycodendrimers, two of them with neuroprotective properties in animal models of MBL-mediated injuries.


2007 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youko Aoyagi ◽  
Elisabeth E. Adderson ◽  
Craig E. Rubens ◽  
John F. Bohnsack ◽  
Jin G. Min ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Group B streptococci (GBS) are the most common cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. Most infants who are colonized with GBS at birth do not develop invasive disease, although many of these uninfected infants lack protective levels of capsular polysaccharide (CPS)-specific antibody. The lectin pathway of complement is a potential mechanism for initiating opsonization of GBS with CPS-specific antibody-deficient serum. In this study, we determined whether mannose-binding lectin (MBL)/MBL-associated serine protease (MASP) complexes and L-ficolin/MASP complexes bind to different strains of GBS to activate the lectin pathway, and we identified the molecules recognized by lectins on the GBS surface. We found that MBL did not bind to any GBS examined, whereas L-ficolin bound to GBS cells of many serotypes. L-ficolin binding to GBS cells correlated with the CPS content in serotypes Ib, III (restriction digestion pattern types III-2 and III-3), and V but not with the group B-specific polysaccharide (GBPS) content or with the lipoteichoic acid (LTA) content. L-ficolin bound to purified CPS and GBPS in a concentration-dependent manner but not to purified LTA. All strains to which L-ficolin/MASP complexes bound consumed C4. When N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuNAc) was selectively removed from GBS cells by treatment with neuraminidase, the reduction in L-ficolin binding was correlated with the amount of NeuNAc removed. Additionally, L-ficolin was able to bind to wild-type strains but was able to bind only weakly to unencapsulated mutants and a mutant strain in which the CPS lacks NeuNAc. We concluded that L-ficolin/MASP complexes bind to GBS primarily through an interaction with NeuNAc of CPS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 1720-1724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hultström ◽  
Robert Frithiof ◽  
Oskar Eriksson ◽  
Barbro Persson ◽  
Miklos Lipcsey ◽  
...  

AbstractThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, as well as profound effects on society. COVID-19 patients have an increased risk of thromboembolic (TE) complications, which develop despite pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. The mechanism behind COVID-19-associated coagulopathy remains unclear. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a pattern recognition molecule that initiates the lectin pathway of complement activation, has been suggested as a potential amplifier of blood coagulation during thromboinflammation. Here we describe data from a cohort of critically ill COVID-19 patients (n = 65) treated at a tertiary hospital center intensive care unit (ICU). A subset of patients had strongly elevated MBL plasma levels, and activity upon ICU admission, and patients who developed symptomatic TE (14%) had significantly higher MBL levels than patients without TE. MBL was strongly correlated to plasma D-dimer levels, a marker of COVID-19 coagulopathy, but showed no relationship to degree of inflammation or other organ dysfunction. In conclusion, we have identified complement activation through the MBL pathway as a novel amplification mechanism that contributes to pathological thrombosis in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Pharmacological targeting of the MBL pathway could be a novel treatment option for thrombosis in COVID-19. Laboratory testing of MBL levels could be of value for identifying COVID-19 patients at risk for TE events.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Osthoff ◽  
Marten Trendelenburg

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is the third leading cause of acute renal failure in hospitalized patients. Endothelial dysfunction, renal medullary ischemia, and tubular toxicity are regarded as the most important factors in the pathogenesis of CIN. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a pattern recognition protein of the lectin pathway of complement, has been found to aggravate and mediate tissue damage during experimental renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury which was alleviated by inhibition with C1 inhibitor, a potent MBL, and lectin pathway inhibitor. In this paper, we highlight the potential role of MBL in the pathogenesis of human CIN. In experimental I/R models, MBL was previously found to induce tubular cell death independent of the complement system. In addition, after binding to vascular endothelial cells, MBL and its associated serine proteases were able to trigger a proinflammatory reaction and contribute to endothelial dysfunction. In humans, urinary MBL was increased after administration of contrast media and in individuals with CIN. Moreover, individuals with normal/high MBL levels were at increased risk to develop radiocontrast-induced renal dysfunction. Hence, MBL and the lectin pathway seem to be a promising target given that a licensed, powerful, human recombinant inhibitor exits to be added to the scarce armamentarium currently available for prophylaxis of CIN.


mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Panisadee Avirutnan ◽  
Richard E. Hauhart ◽  
Mary A. Marovich ◽  
Peter Garred ◽  
John P. Atkinson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a key soluble pathogen recognition protein of the innate immune system that binds specific mannose-containing glycans on the surfaces of microbial agents and initiates complement activation via the lectin pathway. Prior studies showed that MBL-dependent activation of the complement cascade neutralized insect cell-derived West Nile virus (WNV) in cell culture and restricted pathogenesis in mice. Here, we investigated the antiviral activity of MBL in infection by dengue virus (DENV), a related flavivirus. Using a panel of naïve sera from mouse strains deficient in different complement components, we showed that inhibition of infection by insect cell- and mammalian cell-derived DENV was primarily dependent on the lectin pathway. Human MBL also bound to DENV and neutralized infection of all four DENV serotypes through complement activation-dependent and -independent pathways. Experiments with human serum from naïve individuals with inherent variation in the levels of MBL in blood showed a direct correlation between the concentration of MBL and neutralization of DENV; samples with high levels of MBL in blood neutralized DENV more efficiently than those with lower levels. Our studies suggest that allelic variation of MBL in humans may impact complement-dependent control of DENV pathogenesis.IMPORTANCEDengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-transmitted virus that causes a spectrum of clinical disease in humans ranging from subclinical infection to dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Four serotypes of DENV exist, and severe illness is usually associated with secondary infection by a different serotype. Here, we show that mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a pattern recognition molecule that initiates the lectin pathway of complement activation, neutralized infection of all four DENV serotypes through complement activation-dependent and -independent pathways. Moreover, we observed a direct correlation with the concentration of MBL in human serum and neutralization of DENV infection. Our studies suggest that common genetic polymorphisms that result in disparate levels and function of MBL in humans may impact DENV infection, pathogenesis, and disease severity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Defendi ◽  
Corentin Leroy ◽  
Olivier Epaulard ◽  
Giovanna Clavarino ◽  
Antoine Vilotitch ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers excessive immune response resulting in increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, endothelial injury, and intravascular coagulopathy. The complement system (CS) activation participates to this hyperinflammatory response. However, it is still unclear which activation pathways (classical, alternative, or lectin pathway) pilots the effector mechanisms that contribute to critical illness. To better understand the immune correlates of disease severity, we performed an analysis of CS activation pathways and components in samples collected from COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Grenoble Alpes University Hospital between 1 and 30 April 2020 and of their relationship with the clinical outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, single-center study cohort in 74 hospitalized patients with RT-PCR-proven COVID-19. The functional activities of classical, alternative, and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) pathways and the antigenic levels of the individual components C1q, C4, C3, C5, Factor B, and MBL were measured in patients’ samples during hospital admission. Hierarchical clustering with the Ward method was performed in order to identify clusters of patients with similar characteristics of complement markers. Age was included in the model. Then, the clusters were compared with the patient clinical features: rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, corticoid treatment, oxygen requirement, and mortality.ResultsFour clusters were identified according to complement parameters. Among them, two clusters revealed remarkable profiles: in one cluster (n = 15), patients exhibited activation of alternative and lectin pathways and low antigenic levels of MBL, C4, C3, Factor B, and C5 compared to all the other clusters; this cluster had the higher proportion of patients who died (27%) and required oxygen support (80%) or ICU care (53%). In contrast, the second cluster (n = 19) presented inflammatory profile with high classical pathway activity and antigenic levels of complement components; a low proportion of patients required ICU care (26%) and no patient died in this group.ConclusionThese findings argue in favor of prominent activation of the alternative and MBL complement pathways in severe COVID-19, but the spectrum of complement involvement seems to be heterogeneous requiring larger studies.


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