Abstract (eng)
SIGN is a protein of the C-type lectin superfamily and contains a characteristic car-bohydrate recognition domain that enables Ca2+-dependent binding of carbohydrates. Among other things, DC-SIGN regulates dendritic cells and influences their migration and adhesion. In addition to that, it plays an important role in inflammatory responses, activation of T-cells or regulation of the immune response. Under physiological conditi-ons, homeostasis is maintained; under pathological conditions, the release of proin-flammatory mediators is stimulated. Therefore, an involvement in the development of autoimmune or inflammatory diseases is also discussed. Another aspect is the role of DC-SIGN in evading the immune response by viruses and other pathogens. Despite the interest in DC-SIGN because of its possible therapeutic potential, no drug-like compounds which bind to the primary binding site of DC-SIGN have been develo-ped yet, because it is highly hydrophilic. However, previous studies indicate the exis-tence of secondary binding sites that could potentially allosterically affect DC-SIGN. The mechanism for this is not known though. To further characterize the secondary binding sites and the associated allosteric net-work, molecular dynamics simulations were performed which predicted allosteric poten-tials for the secondary binding site. Consequently, a hypothesis about the allosteric network of DC-SIGN was made. Based on these results, mutants of the protein were created by replacing individual amino acids at promising positions in the sequence. With respect to the allosteric network of DC-SIGN, these mutations could lead to modulation of the secondary binding site, which in turn could affect factors such as conformational change, carbohydrate specificity, binding affinities, and also primary binding sites. Func-tional assays can be used to compare WT and mutants. Purification of DC-SIGN and its mutants is performed by FPLC over an IMAC column. By integrating an autosampler into the system, it is possible to ensure automatic purifi-cation of multiple, different protein samples in succession. This facilitates the provision of sufficient amounts of DC-SIGN and its mutants for further experiments such as NMR and various assays.