Handbook of Plant Lectins : Properties and Biomedical Applications

Plant lectins are extensively used as tools and as bioactiveproteins in different areas of biomedical and biological research.The Handbook of Plant Lectins provides a comprehensive yet conciseoverview of the biochemical properties, carbohydrate-bindingspecificity, biological activities and applications of most of thecurrently known plant lectins. This handbook consists of two majorsections: an introductory guide and a quick reference dictionary.Part I acquaints the newcomer to the lectin field with theessential information on lectins and their importance tobiomedicine: * what are lectins? * their carbohydrate-binding specificity * effects on nutrition and immunology * use in histochemistry * application as therapeutic agents Part II lists approximately 200 lectin entries in alphabeticalorder. Each entry deals with the lectin(s) of a particular plantand provides, (where known), details of: * isolation and characterisation; * sugar binding specificity; * biological activities; * applications; * commercial availability; and, * a bibliography. Useful summary tables list lectins according to their specificity,thereby allowing the user to choose the best lectin for theirapplication. A list of suppliers is also provided. Handbook ofPlant Lectins will be of interest to biologists and biomedicalresearchers studying cell biology, cancer research, nutrition,immunology, pathology and physiology.