Three-Dimensional Models of the Oligomeric Human Asialoglycoprotein Receptor (ASGP-R)

• Main Authors: Anna Maria Bianucci, Ilaria Massarelli, Federica Chiellini, Emo Chiellini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2010-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: ASGP-R; oligomeric form; antennary carbohydratic ligands
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/11/10/3867/

The work presented here is aimed at suggesting plausible hypotheses for functional oligomeric forms of the human asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R), by applying a combination of different computational techniques. The functional ASGP-R is a hetero-oligomer, that comprises of several subunits of two different kinds (H1 and H2), which are highly homologous. Its stoichiometry is still unknown. An articulated step-wise modeling protocol was used in order to build the receptor model in a minimal oligomeric form, necessary for it to bind multi-antennary carbohydrate ligands. The ultimate target of the study is to contribute to increasing the knowledge of interactions between the human ASGP-R and carbohydrate ligands, at the molecular level, pertinent to applications in the field of hepatic tissue engineering.