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Why is the enantiomer of a chiral molecule often considered to be a foreign, not-body-own pathogen?
Peptidoglycan, which makes up a great part of the bacterial cell wall, contains several of these molecules, such as D-alanin, whereas humans use the L-form, or other components like L-glutamic acid and D-glutamine, both of which only their mirror images are used by eukaryotes. N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is also a component of peptidoglycan, and it is the monomeric unit of the polymer chitin, and chitin (which makes up the fungal cell wall) is a PAMP (pathogen associated molecular pattern). Semen contains L-fructose, which is also seen as not-body-own by the neutrophils of our innate immune system.
Is it usual that that mirror images are associated with bacterial/fungal/viral pathogens by our immune system? Are there more examples of this?
Peptidoglycan, which makes up a great part of the bacterial cell wall, contains several of these molecules, such as D-alanin, whereas humans use the L-form, or other components like L-glutamic acid and D-glutamine, both of which only their mirror images are used by eukaryotes. N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is also a component of peptidoglycan, and it is the monomeric unit of the polymer chitin, and chitin (which makes up the fungal cell wall) is a PAMP (pathogen associated molecular pattern). Semen contains L-fructose, which is also seen as not-body-own by the neutrophils of our innate immune system.
Is it usual that that mirror images are associated with bacterial/fungal/viral pathogens by our immune system? Are there more examples of this?