Role of alpha-dystroglycan as a Schwann cell receptor for Mycobacterium leprae.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 9851927.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
alpha-Dystroglycan (alpha-DG) is a component of the dystroglycan complex, which is involved in early development and morphogenesis and in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies. Here, alpha-DG was shown to serve as a Schwann cell receptor for Mycobacterium leprae, the causative organism of leprosy. Mycobacterium leprae specifically bound to alpha-DG only in the presence of the G domain of the alpha2 chain of laminin-2. Native alpha-DG competitively inhibited the laminin-2-mediated M. leprae binding to primary Schwann cells. Thus, M. leprae may use linkage between the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton through laminin-2 and alpha-DG for its interaction with Schwann cells.
Medical subject headings
- Bacterial Adhesion
- Cytoskeletal Proteins
- Laminin
- Membrane Glycoproteins
- Mycobacterium leprae
- Schwann Cells