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Updated: May 28, 2026

Collection of Post-mating Semen from the Female Reproductive Tract and Measurement of Semen Liquefaction in Mice
Published on: November 18, 2017
Semen clusterin is a novel DC-SIGN ligand
Juan Sabatte1, Wolfgang Faigle, Ana Ceballos
1INSERM U653, Immunité et Cancer, Institut Curie Paris, Paris 75248, France.
Semen clusterin, rich in fucose-containing glycans, binds dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN). This interaction inhibits HIV-1 binding, suggesting a role for semen clusterin in sexually transmitted infections.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Glycobiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) recognizes pathogens via specific glycans.
- Clusterin is implicated in various physiological and pathological processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel DC-SIGN ligands in semen.
- To investigate the role of semen clusterin in DC-SIGN-mediated pathogen recognition.
Main Methods:
- Identification of semen clusterin as a DC-SIGN ligand.
- Analysis of glycosylation patterns in semen and serum clusterin.
- Assessment of semen clusterin's binding affinity to DC-SIGN and its effect on HIV-1 binding.
Main Results:
- Semen clusterin, unlike serum clusterin, exhibits abundant fucose-containing blood group antigens (Le(x), Le(y)).
- Semen clusterin binds DC-SIGN with high affinity (Kd 76 nM) and blocks HIV-1 binding.
- Depletion of clusterin from semen did not fully inhibit HIV-1 capture, indicating other semen-derived DC-SIGN ligands exist.
Conclusions:
- Semen clusterin is a novel high-affinity DC-SIGN ligand due to its unique glycosylation.
- Heterogeneity in clusterin glycosylation suggests distinct biological functions.
- Semen clusterin may influence the early stages of sexually transmitted infections by modulating DC-SIGN interactions.
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