Human milk glycans (HMGs) are prebiotics, pathogen receptor decoys, and regulators of host physiology and immune responses. Mechanistically, human lectins (glycan-binding proteins, hGBPs) expressed by dendritic cells (DC) are of major interest, as these cells directly contact HMGs. To explore such interactions, we screened many C-type lectins and Siglecs expressed by DC for glycan binding on microarrays presenting over 200 HMGs. Unexpectedly, DC-SIGN showed robust binding to many HMGs, whereas other C-type lectins failed to bind, and Siglecs-5 and -9 showed weak binding to a few glycans. By contrast, most hGBPs bound to multiple glycans on other microarrays lacking HMGs. An α-linked fucose residue was characteristic of HMGs bound by DC-SIGN. Binding of DC-SIGN to the simple HMGs 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) and 3-fucosyllactose (3-FL) was confirmed by flow cytometry to beads conjugated with 2′-FL or 3-FL, as well as the ability of the free glycans to inhibit DC-SIGN binding. 2′-FL had an IC50 of ~1 mM for DC-SIGN, which is within the physiological concentration of 2′-FL in human milk. These results demonstrate that DC-SIGN among the many hGBPs expressed by DC binds to α-fucosylated HMGs, and suggest that such interactions may be important in influencing immune responses in the developing infant.
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) contribute to innate immunity by enhancing growth of beneficial bacteria, epithelial cell maturation and mucosal barrier integrity. They have immunomodulatory effects and can block pathogen binding to host cell surface glycans or receptors. We investigated the effects of 2'-fucosyllactose (2'FL), 6'-sialyllactose (6'SL), 3'-sialyllactose (3'SL) and lacto-N-neoTetraose (LNnT) on human respiratory epithelial cell lines or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) following respiratory viral infection in vitro. Expression of cytokines and viral load were monitored in infected cells. These biomarkers of innate immunity were selected since viral load and cytokine levels (IP-10, MIP-1α, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) have been correlated with disease severity in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza (IAV) virus infection in vivo. 2'FL significantly decreased RSV viral load and cytokines associated with disease severity (IL-6, IL-8, MIP-1α) and inflammation (TNF-α, MCP-1) in airway epithelial cells. LNnT and 6'SL significantly decreased IAV viral load in airway epithelial cells. 6'SL dose-dependently down-regulated IP-10 and TNF-α in RSV infected PBMCs. HMO at or below levels found in breast milk enhance innate immunity to respiratory viruses in vitro and may interact directly with cells to modulate biomarkers of innate immunity.
The rabbit hyperimmunization model has previously been used to evaluate candidate hypoallergenic protein ingredients. Use of the model has been expanded to include the evaluation of protein hydrolysate formulas. Each formula's immunological reactivity was determined by ELISA measurement of formula-specific rabbit antibody. Animals hyperimmunized with formulas containing extensively hydrolyzed proteins (Alimentum, Nutramigen, and Pregestimil) generated very weak immune responses (< 100 fold antibody increase). Products containing intact or partially hydrolyzed proteins (Similac, Enfamil, Good Start, Beba HA, and Nidina HA) elicited high level (> 10,000 fold increase) immune responses. Immunogenicity results were then compared to measurements of residual antigen content (by inhibition ELISA) and clinical performance. Correlation of formula immunogenicity, antigenicity and clinical performance indicates that the rabbit model is useful for screening "hypoallergenic" formulas to predict allergenic reactivity.
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