Interaction of Lens culinaris lectin, concanavalin A, Ricinus communis agglutinin and wheat germ agglutinin with the cell surface of normal and transformed rat liver cells

A review of Vicieae lectins studies: End of the book or a story in the writing?

Vicieae tribe, Leguminosae family (Fabaceae), has been extensively studied. In particular, the study of lectins. The purification, physicochemical and structural characterizations of the various purified lectins and the analysis of their relevant biological activities are ongoing. In this review, several works already published about Vicieae lectins are addressed. Initially, we presented the purification protocols and the physicochemical aspects, such as specificity for carbohydrates, optimal activity in the face of variations in temperature and pH, as well metals-dependence. Following, structural characterization studies are highlighted and, finally, various biological activities already reported are summarized. Studies on lectins in almost all genera (Lathyrus, Lens, Pisum and Vicia) are considered, with the exception of Vavilovia which studies of lectins have not yet been reported. Like other leguminous lectins, Vicieae lectins present heterogeneous profiles of agglutination profiles for erythrocytes and other cells of the immune system, and glycoproteins. Most Vicieae lectins consist of two subunits, α and β, products of a single precursor protein derived from a single gene. The differences between the isoforms result from varying degrees of proteolytic processing. Along with the identification of these molecules and their characteristics, biological activities become very relevant and robust for both basic and applied research.

Comprehensive list of lectins: origins, natures, and carbohydrate specificities

More than 100 years have passed since the first lectin ricin was discovered. Since then, a wide variety of lectins (lect means "select" in Latin) have been isolated from plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, as well as viruses, and their structures and properties have been characterized. At present, as many as 48 protein scaffolds have been identified as functional lectins from the viewpoint of three-dimensional structures as described in this chapter. In this chapter, representative 53 lectins are selected, and their major properties that include hemagglutinating activity, mitogen activity, blood group specificity, molecular weight, metal requirement, and sugar specificities are summarized as a comprehensive table. The list will provide a practically useful, comprehensive list for not only experienced lectin users but also many other non-expert researchers, who are not familiar to lectins and, therefore, have no access to advanced lectin biotechnologies described in other chapters.