About this Research Topic
Glycans are an essential building block for life, pre-dating multicellular organisms. They are the most common complex post-translational modification, found on the majority of cell surface and secreted proteins and lipids. As a result they are the first point of contact for cell-cell, and cell-pathogen interactions. Different species, tissues, cells and proteins display different glycans in an environmentally dependent, and cell specific manner. This gives them a key role in immunology, where signals stored as glycan patterns allow discrimination between self and non-self and tissue/cellular/protein status, for example allowing host tissues to send out signals in the form of glycan patterns when in danger. Immunological information in the form of glycan patterns is interpreted through the engagement of carbohydrate binding proteins, called lectins. The number of lectins has evolved in response to pathogenic and neoplastic glycan alterations, leaving humans with an intriguing glycan-sensing legacy and the field of glyco-immunology.
Despite the key role of glycans in immunology and first steps towards development of new glycan-targeting pharmaceuticals, many areas are still to be explored providing new opportunities for basic and translational discoveries.
This Research Topic is designed to connect a broad subject area, that of inflammatory disease, including cancer, in the hope of establishing new connections between research groups, but also in the hope of understanding shared glyco-immunological features across multiple diseases. We welcome Original Research and Review articles assessing the role of glyco-immunology in chronic inflammatory diseases. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Sialic acid binding lectins in cancers and inflammatory disease.
• Other lectins (eg collectins, C-type lectins, plant lectins, MBL) in cancers and inflammatory disease.
• Galectins and their role in inflammation.
• Glycosyltransferases and inflammatory diseases.
• Targeting aberrant glycans for inflammatory disease and cancer.
• Lectins as clinical tools; stratification, targeting.
• GAGs in inflammatory disease.
Dr. Reis received research funding from Merck KGaA, Germany, and from Pharmis, Portugal. Dr. Laubli received research support from BMS, GlyEra and Palleon Pharmaceuticals.
Despite the key role of glycans in immunology and first steps towards development of new glycan-targeting pharmaceuticals, many areas are still to be explored providing new opportunities for basic and translational discoveries.
This Research Topic is designed to connect a broad subject area, that of inflammatory disease, including cancer, in the hope of establishing new connections between research groups, but also in the hope of understanding shared glyco-immunological features across multiple diseases. We welcome Original Research and Review articles assessing the role of glyco-immunology in chronic inflammatory diseases. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Sialic acid binding lectins in cancers and inflammatory disease.
• Other lectins (eg collectins, C-type lectins, plant lectins, MBL) in cancers and inflammatory disease.
• Galectins and their role in inflammation.
• Glycosyltransferases and inflammatory diseases.
• Targeting aberrant glycans for inflammatory disease and cancer.
• Lectins as clinical tools; stratification, targeting.
• GAGs in inflammatory disease.
Dr. Reis received research funding from Merck KGaA, Germany, and from Pharmis, Portugal. Dr. Laubli received research support from BMS, GlyEra and Palleon Pharmaceuticals.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
