Intelectin / Omentin

Intelectins are lectins that are expressed in humans and other chordates. They are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are implicated in innate immunity.

Intelectins are highly conserved across chordate evolution, including both ascidians and humans. Humans express two types of intelectins encoded by the ITLN1 and ITLN2 genes.

Intelectins have been proposed to function as immune lectins. They bind microbe-specific carbohydrate residues and assist phagocytic clearance of microorganisms. They have been demonstrated to agglutinate bacteria, probably due to their carbohydrate-binding capacity.

Human intelectin-1 (ITLN1) is highly abundant within the intestinal mucosa and binds microbial but not host glycans. It recognizes galactofuranose in carbohydrate chains of bacterial cell walls.

Intelectins are also known as omentin. They contain a fibrinogen-like domain and a unique intelectin-specific region that makes them distinct from other immune lectins.

Studies have linked hIntL-1 to asthma and Crohn's disease, both of which arise from defects at mucosal surfaces where intelectins are secreted.