Selectins form a group of C-type lectins, which bind to carbohydrates in a calcium dependent manner. Three selectins, E-, L-, and P-selectins are known. All selectins bind to sialyl Lewis X (sLex ). E-selectin (endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 or ELAM-1; CD62E) is expressed in the endothelial cells in response to inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β or TNFα. E-selectin binds to the carbohydrate structure terminated by sialyl Lewisx (sLex ) and sialyl Lewisa (sLea ) (1 ). Counter receptors recognized by E-selectin are expressed by neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, memory T-lymphocytes, and natural killer cells. E-selectin recruits these leukocytes to the inflammatory site. Characterization of E-selectin-deficient mice confirmed a critical role of E-selectin in acute inflammatory models (2 ).
