Molecular Enzymology Lab (LEM)

The laboratory focuses on molecular recognition mechanisms involving protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate interactions, and on the biological implications of these interactions, particularly in innate immunity, inflammation and infectious diseases.

Research topics

• Innate Immunity
• Protein-Glycosaminoglycan Interactions

Key words

Amyloid fibrils - Apoptosis – Beta structures - Biomaterials - Complement - Cytokine/Chimiokine - Extracellular matrix - Glycosaminoglycan - Heparan sulphate - Innate immunity - Molecular recognition - Oligosaccharide – Pathogens - Prion protein - Protein assembly - Protein folding - Serine proteases - Glycochips

Specialized techniques

Amino acid analysis - Kinetic analysis of interactions (BIAcore technology) – Cell culture – Protein engineering – Glycosaminoglycan sequencing – Protein sequencing – Structural analysis of oligosaccharides

Major publications

Païdassi, H., Tacnet-Delorme, P., Garlatti, V., Darnault, C., Ghebrehiwet, B., Gaboriaud, C., Arlaud, G. J. & Frachet, P. (2008) C1q binds phosphatidylserine and likely acts as a multiligand bridging molecule in apoptotic cell recognition. J. Immunol. 180, 2329-2338.

Crublet, E., Andrieu, J.-P., Vivès, R.R., & Lortat-Jacob, H. (2008) The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 features four heparan sulfate binding domains, including the coreceptor binding site. J. Biol. Chem. 283, 15193-15200.

Garlatti, V., Belloy, N., Martin, , L., Lacroix, M., Matsushita, M., Endo, Y., Fujita, T., Fontecilla-Camps, J.C., Arlaud, G.J., Thielens, N.M. & Gaboriaud, C. (2007) Structural insights into the innate immune recognition specificities of L- and H-ficolins. EMBO J. 26, 623-633.

Laguri, C., Sadir, R., Rueda, P., Baleux, F., Gans, P., Arenzana-Seisdedos, F. & Lortat-Jacob, H. (2007) The novel CXCL12 isoform encodes an unstructured cationic domain which regulates bioactivity and interaction with both glycosaminoglycans and CXCR4. PLoS One 2, e1110.

Gaboriaud, C., Thielens, N.M., Gregory, L.A., Rossi, V., Fontecilla-Camps, J.C. & Arlaud, G.J. (2004) Structure and activation of the C1 complex of complement: unravelling the puzzle. Trends Immunol. 25, 368-373.

(The list of all the publications of the laboratory is available here)