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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Jan 6.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Immunol. 2015 Sep 21;15(10):643–654. doi: 10.1038/nri3889

Figure 3 |. Scaffold and spacer lipids bind to CD1b.

Figure 3 |

a | A co-crystal study of CD1b bound to antigen (shown in yellow and red), a synthetic sulfoglycolipid analogue known as SGL12 with a combined lipid length of 33 carbons. This structure also detects a second electron density (shown in orange) positioned in the lower chamber of the CD1b groove, within the T’ tunnel51. b | CD1b-binding natural scaffold lipids - diacylglycerides and deoxydihydroceramides - are unusually hydrophobic self lipids. The term ‘scaffold’ refers to the location of one particular kind of spacer lipid, which is located at the bottom of the CD1b groove and lifts of the sulfoglycolipid antigen towards the surface.