Fig. 3: Recognition of Bacteria Mannose by Mannose Receptors

Mannose-rich glycans are short carbohydrate chains with the sugar mannose or fructose as the terminal sugar. They are commonly found in microbial glycoproteins and glycolipids but are rare in those of humans. (Human glycoproteins and glycolipids typically have terminal N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid groups.) C-type lectins, found on the surface of phagocytes, are endocytic pattern recognition receptors that bind to mannose-rich glycans in order to attach microbes to phagocytes. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), also known as mannan-binding protein, is a soluble pattern recognition receptor in plasma and tissue fluid that binds to mannose-rich glycans on microbes in oder to activate the lectin complement pathway.

Illustration of Recognition of Bacteria Mannose by Mannose Receptors .jpg by Gary E. Kaiser, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology, The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://cwoer.ccbcmd.edu/science/microbiology/index_gos.html.

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Last updated: Feb., 2021
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