Ashwell receptor reduces mortality during sepsis

In research that solves the longest-standing mystery in glycobiology - a field that studies complex sugar chains called glycans - researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a molecule in the liver of all animals, called the Ashwell receptor, is critical in helping the body fight off the abnormal and lethal blood clotting caused by bacterial infection. Until now, it was suspected that this receptor might serve to remove abnormal proteins from circulation, but it wasn`t understood which proteins were affected or what biological purpose this receptor served.

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