Complex carbohydrate recognition by proteins: Fundamental insights from bacteriophage cell adhesion systems

Publication date: January 2017Source: Perspectives in Science, Volume 11Author(s): Nina K. Broeker, Dorothee Andres, Yu Kang, Ulrich Gohlke, Andreas Schmidt, Sonja Kunstmann, Mark Santer, Stefanie BarbirzSummaryProtein–glycan interactions are ubiquitous in nature. Molecular description of complex formation and the underlying thermodynamics, however, are not well understood due to the lack of model systems. Bacteriophage tailspike proteins (TSP) possess binding sites for bacterial cell surfaces oligosaccharides. In this article we describe the analysis of TSP-oligosaccharide complexes. TSP provide large glycan interaction sites where affinity and specificity are guided by the protein surface solvation and the conformational space sampled by the respective glycan. Furthermore, we describe a computational approach to analyse the conformational space sampled by flexible glycans of bacterial origin, a prerequisite for a thorough understanding of TSP-oligosaccharide interactions.

Source: Perspectives in Science - July 11, 2018 Category: Science Source Type: research