The lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein participating in hemocyte nodule formation in the silkworm <i>Bombyx mori</i> is a novel member of the C‐type lectin superfamily with two different tandem carbohydrate‐recognition domains¹

Abstract

We recently isolated and characterized the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein, BmLBP, from the larval hemolymph of the silkworm Bombyx mori. BmLBP is a pattern recognition molecule that recognizes the lipid A portion of LPS and participates in a cellular defense reaction. This paper describes the cDNA cloning of BmLBP. The deduced amino acid sequence of BmLBP revealed that BmLBP is a novel member of the C-type lectin superfamily with a unique structural feature that consists of two different carbohydrate-recognition domains in tandem, a short and a long form.