Carbohydrate recognition by Clostridium difficile toxin A.
Greco, A., Ho, J.G., Lin, S.J., Palcic, M.M., Rupnik, M., Ng, K.K.(2006) Nat Struct Mol Biol 13: 460-461
- PubMed: 16622409 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb1084
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
2G7C - PubMed Abstract: 
Clostridium difficile TcdA is a large toxin that binds carbohydrates on intestinal epithelial cells. A 2-A resolution cocrystal structure reveals two molecules of alpha-Gal-(1,3)-beta-Gal-(1,4)-beta-GlcNAcO(CH(2))(8)CO(2)CH(3) binding in an extended conformation to TcdA. Residues forming key contacts with the trisaccharides are conserved in all seven putative binding sites in TcdA, suggesting a mode of multivalent binding that may be exploited for the rational design of novel therapeutics.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada T2N 1N4.