Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2025
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V48
Höfundar / Authors: Unnur Magnusdottir, Yiming Yang Jonatansdottir, Kristinn R. Oskarsson, Jens G. Hjorleifsson, Jon M. Einarsson, and Finnbogi R. Thormodsson.
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: University of Akureyri
Kynnir / Presenter: Unnur Magnusdottir
YKL-40 is a chitinase-like glycoprotein implicated in inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer. While known to interact with chitin and heparin, its binding to other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has not been examined. Using Microscale Thermophoresis (MST), we identified dermatan sulfate (DS) and hyaluronan (HA) as new YKL-40 ligands, while chondroitin sulfate (CS) showed no binding. Among the GAGs tested, binding affinity was highest for heparin, followed by DS, and HA. Molecular docking results indicated that both heparin and DS interacted with the same site on YKL-40 (residues 143-149). These findings expand the known ligand profile of YKL-40 and offer new insights into its ECM-context-dependent roles, with implications for targeting YKL-40 in diseases involving chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and cancer progression.