IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Probing the function of human immune lectins

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Laura Kiesling discussed how human immune lectins recognize carbohydrate differences between host cells and microbes. She described the glycocalyx on cells, the diversity of bacterial sugars, and how lectins help maintain mucosal barriers by binding mucus and microbes. One example was intellectin-2, which binds galactose on mucins, cross-links mucus to stabilize the barrier, and can kill bacteria that breach it.  <br /><br />She also presented a broader strategy to study the “lectin interactome” using barcoded lectins, single-cell transcriptomics, and spatial proteomics. This revealed highly selective binding patterns across healthy and diseased samples, including differences in inflammatory bowel disease and distinct T-cell states. In imaging studies, lectin binding helped distinguish follicular hyperplasia from follicular lymphoma and highlighted immune niches in tumors. Overall, the talk emphasized lectins as both barrier stabilizers and potential diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

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Date April 16, 2026 8:33 AM - 9:06 AM

Room Ballroom

Session Major Symposium B: Microbiome Influence on Epithelial-immune Crosstalk

Speaker Laura Kiessling

Track Mucosal And Regional Immunology (MUC)

Year 2026

Keywords

human immune lectins

glycocalyx

mucosal barrier

intellectin-2

lectin interactome

single-cell transcriptomics

April 16, 2026 8:33 AM - 9:06 AM

Ballroom

Major Symposium B: Microbiome Influence on Epithelial-immune Crosstalk

Laura Kiessling

Mucosal And Regional Immunology (MUC)

2026