Download MendeleyPhylogenetic and structural insights into the origin of C-type lectin Mincle in vertebrates.
Ito, T., Guenther, C., Ishikawa, E., Yabuki, T., Nagae, M., Nakatani, Y., Yamasaki, S.(2025) Immunogenetics 77: 18-18
- PubMed: 40119899
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00251-025-01375-x
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9KPL, 9KS7 - PubMed Abstract:
Our bodies are continuously exposed to injurious insults by infection and tissue damage, which are primarily sensed by innate immune receptors to maintain homeostasis. Among such receptors is macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle, gene symbol CLEC4E), a member of the C-type lectin receptor (CLR) family, which functions as an immune sensor for both pathogens and damaged self. To monitor these injurious stimuli, Mincle recognizes disaccharide-based pathogen-derived glycolipids and monosaccharide-based intracellular metabolites, such as β-glucosylceramide. Mincle is well-conserved among mammals; however, there are questions that remain unclear, such as from which lower vertebrate did it arise and whether the original ligand was self or non-self. Here, we found homologues of Mincle and its signaling subunit Fc receptor γ chain (FcRγ) in lower vertebrates, such as reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. The crystal structure of a Mincle homologue revealed that fish Mincle possesses a narrower sugar-binding pocket than that of mammalian Mincle, and accommodates only monosaccharide moieties. These results suggest that Mincle may have evolved from a self-recognizing receptor, and its sugar-binding pocket widened during evolution, presumably to adapt to disaccharide-based glycolipids derived from life-threatening pathogens.
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Organizational Affiliation:
