| Modification Notes |
Two families of mammalian lectin-like adhesion molecules, the selectins and the sialoadhesins, bind glycoconjugate ligands in a sialic acid-dependent manner. The sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin superfamily lectins, designated Siglecs, are immunoglobulin superfamily members that recognize sialylated ligands. Siglecs are important in the functions of the haemopoietic, immune and nervous systems. Siglec-12, also designated Siglec-L1, is expressed on the lumenal edge of epithelial cell surfaces. The Siglec-12 transcript is alternatively spliced, resulting in a short and long isoform. Siglec-12 lacks a conserved arginine residue known to be necessary for optimal sialic acid recognition by other previously known Siglecs. This arginine loss from an ancestral molecule was caused by a single nucleotide substitution that occurred between the common ancestor of humans with the great apes, and the origin of modern humans. |