Note! This is an old version of B&C site.
Biopolym. Cell. 2013; 29(5):357-366.
Reviews
The areas of application for plant lectins
1Melnykova N. M., 1Mykhalkiv L. M., 1Mamenko P. M., 1Kots S. Ya.
  1. Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, NAS of Ukraine
    31/17, Vasylkivska, Kyiv, Ukraine, 03022
Lectins, in particular from plants, are proteins of non-immune origin that are able to bind carbohydrates with high specificity. Due to their properties, phytolectins are of great interest in practical applications. They were shown to play an important role in forming strategies for treatment of disease including cancer and HIV. Plant lectins are an important tool in glycomic studies. Plant lectins with fungicidal and insecticidal activities are used in transgenic technologies to increase plant resistance to pests and phytopathogens. The introduction of lectin-like kinases genes into plant genome was shown to be perspective way to protect plants against environmental stresses and regulate plant growth. Engineering of phytolectins allows obtaining molecules with known carbohydrate specificity that can be applied in various areas. The studies are underway with the aim of design of lectin-based drug delivery systems as well as the pharmaceutical drugs containing plant lectins. Because of the ability of phytolectins to bind to different substances they can be more widely used in the future. The review focuses on current data and future possibilities in the application of plant lectins.
Keywords: plant lectins, biotechnology, glycome analysis, biomedical research, agriculture