Mannose-Binding Lectin: Biologic Characteristics and Role in the Susceptibility to Infections and Ischemia-Reperfusion Related Injury in Critically Ill Neonates

Figure 1

The MBL gene and the MBL structure. The organization of the MBL gene is located at chromosome 10q21. Two promotor polymorphisms at positions −550 and −221 are indicated. A third polymorphism is found at position +4. Exon 1 of the gene encodes the untranslated region (UR), the signal peptide (SP), and the cross-linking region (C-LR) of the N-terminal and the first part of the collagenous region (CR) harbouring the base mutations that results in the production of the MBL variants. The second exon encodes the remaining part of the collagenous region (CR) including the disruption of the Gly-X-Y repeat. A third exon encodes the neck region (NR). The last exon encodes the carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD). The MBL subunit is composed of three single peptides.