【精选】A database analysis of jacalin-like lectins sequence structure function relationships.pdf

Glycobiology vol. 14 no. 12 pp. 1247–1263, 2004 doi:10.1093/glycob/cwh140 Advance Access publication on August 25, 2004 A database analysis of jacalin-like lectins: sequence–structure–function relationships 2 2 3 Sujana Raval , Sharan B. Gowda , Desh D. Singh , and metastasis, embryogenesis, and tissue development (Sharon Nagasuma R. Chandra1,2 and Lis, 1989). Detailed knowledge of the molecular 2 mechanisms of carbohydrate recognition by lectins is there- Bioinformatics Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India, and 3Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, fore required not only to understand the prime events in Bangalore-560 012, India various biological processes but also to translate them into applications in medicine and biotechnology. Plant lectins, Received on March 10, 2004; revised on August 19, 2004; accepted on August 20, 2004 particularly legume lectins, have been for decades model systems of choice to study the molecular basis of these Lectins are known to be important for many biological pro- recognition events because they are not only easy to purify cesses, due to their ability to recognize cell surface carbo- but also exhibit a wide range of carbohydrate specificities, hydrates with high specificity. Plant lectins have been model despite strong sequence conservation (Loris et al., 1998). systems to study protein–carbohydr