mechanisticEstablished
Antimicrobial immunity
C-type lectin receptors are required for effective recognition of fungal and bacterial glycans and initiation of protective innate responses.1
Glycome Atlas
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Glycome Atlas
protein
Also known as CLR, C-type lectin receptor, CLEC receptors
Man (α1-3) → Man; Man (α1-6) → Man; Man (α1-2) → Man; Man (α1-2) → Man
How to read these diagrams (SNFG)
Each shape is a class of sugar and each colour a specific one. Structures read right to left, with the reducing end (the point of attachment) on the right.
Plain-language answer
C-type lectin receptors are sugar-sensing receptors on immune cells. Many need calcium to grip their target sugars, which is what the C stands for. They let cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells detect the sugar coats of microbes.1
These receptors are front-line pattern detectors that trigger antifungal and antibacterial responses and shape which immune reactions follow. They matter for infection, vaccination, and autoimmune and allergic disease.1
Technical detail
C-type lectin receptors are a superfamily of glycan-binding receptors with C-type carbohydrate-recognition domains, many calcium-dependent, that mediate pathogen sensing, endocytosis, and immune signaling on myeloid and other cells.1
Different C-type lectin receptors are tuned to mannose, fucose, or beta-glucan motifs, allowing discrimination of microbial glycan patterns from host structures and coupling recognition to downstream signaling.1
Engagement of receptors such as dectin-1 activates signaling that drives phagocytosis, cytokine production, and instruction of T-cell responses, making them important in antifungal immunity and vaccine adjuvant biology.1
Human relevance
C-type lectin receptors are required for effective recognition of fungal and bacterial glycans and initiation of protective innate responses.1
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References