Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Analysis of SCAP N-glycosylation and Trafficking in Human Cells
Published on: November 8, 2016
Globotriaosyl ceramide receptor function - where membrane structure and pathology intersect
C A Lingwood1, B Binnington, A Manis
1Research Institute, Division of Molecular Structure and Function, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. cling@sickkids.ca
Abstract:
The glycosphingolipid globotriaosyl ceramide, (Galalpha1-4Galss1-4 glucosyl ceramide-Gb(3)) also known as CD77 and the P(k) blood group antigen, is bound by both verotoxins and by the HIV adhesin, gp120. Gb(3) plays an important receptor role in VT induced hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and HIV infection. The organization of glycolipids, including Gb(3), into lipid rafts is central to both pathologies. The fatty acid heterogeneity within the Gb(3) lipid moiety plays a central role in assembly within such ordered domains. Differential binding of verotoxins and gp120 to such Gb(3) isoforms in model and cell membranes indicates a significant role in the eventual pathogenic outcome. HUS may provide the first example whereby membrane Gb(3) organization provides a predictor for tissue selective in vivo pathology.
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Carbohydrates
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...
Membrane Carbohydrates
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...
Structure of Cadherins
Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins and β-barrels
α-Helix containing multi-pass transmembrane proteins
Multi-pass transmembrane proteins such as G-protein-linked receptors (GPCRs) and...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
