jejuni[3, 4] is supported by the interactions

observed in Foretinib supplier this study. All twelve strains, whether isolated from avian or clinical sources, bound broadly to uncapped check details galactose structures and fucosylated structures. These results were confirmed by inhibition of adherence to cells blocked by competing C. jejuni adherence with UEA-I. Of the strains tested only one chicken isolate (331) and one clinical isolate (520) showed variability in the galactose structures bound. Of interest is the broad specificity of all the C. jejuni strains for galactose and fucosylated structures. Only strain, C. jejuni 520, showed binding differences based on linkage specificity with Galβ1-3GalNAc (asialo-GM1 1 F) and terminal α-1-4 linked see more di-galactose (1 K) glycan structures not being recognised. The fact that C. jejuni recognises a broad range of both α and β linked galactose may offer some explanation for such a broad host range, as might the lack of specificity for linkage and position of fucose in fucosylated structures. α-linked galactose are not common in humans but are common in

many other mammals and avian species [13–17]. Some strains of C. jejuni are known to produce the P-antigen, a terminal α-linked galactose, as a part of their LOS structure to mimic the glycans of potential avian and non-human mammalian hosts [13, 18]. β-linked galactose structures are common to all animals known to be infected with C. jejuni. The fact that C. jejuni recognises both α and β linked galactose indicates either a broad specificity galactose binding lectin or two or more lectins with restricted specificity. As binding to these different galactose structures is not preferential under any condition tested, it is likely that a single yet to be identified broad specificity glactose binding lectin is expressed by C. jejuni. Fucose is a known chemoattractant of C. jejuni but the binding observed in our glycan array analysis is unlikely to be related to the periplasmic receptors for chemotaxis. Fucose surface expression in humans is dependent Morin Hydrate on a range of fucosyltransferases

that can be differentially expressed both throughout tissues and between individuals resulting in differential fucosylation between tissue types or differential fucosylation of the same tissue types when comparing two nonrelated individuals. As C. jejuni has no preference for linkage or location it is likely that either the same protein that recognises galactose is binding fucosylated structures but ignoring the presence of fucose or that C. jejuni has a broad specificity fucose binding lectin. Binding to N-acetylglucosamine structures was differential between strains with three strains not recognising GlcNAc structures at all (C. jejuni 11168, 019 and 108). Typically among strains that did recognise GlcNAc structures the longer repeats were preferred. Only C.