Newly identified lectin from Photorhabdus asymbiotica and itsstructure-functional study

Our project is focused on study of a new lectin from the Photorabdus asymbiotica bacterium (PHL). Photorabdus asymbiotica belongs to the Photorabdus genus together with Photorabdus luminiscens and Photorabdus temperata. The latter 2 species are characterized as strictly virulent insect pathogens. In contrast, P. asymbiotica is also a human pathogen, which causes locally invasive soft tissue and disseminated bacterimic infections. We have identified a new putative lectin in the P. asymbiotica genome with the predicted structure similarity to the lectins from so-called AAL family, which are specific for fucosylated oligosaccharide. The AAL family contains AAL from Aleuria aurantia which inhibits a repair of epithelia or the RSL lectin from Ralstonia solanaccearum predicted as one of the key virulent factors of this plant pathogen.