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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
A Lectin HPLC Method to Enrich Selectively-glycosylated Peptides from Complex Biological Samples
Published on: October 2, 2009
[100 years of lectin research--a balance]
1Staatliches Institut für Immunpräparate und Nährmedien, Berlin.
Insights
Lectinology, a field studying proteins that bind carbohydrates, has evolved over 100 years. While related to immunology, lectins serve diverse roles in biochemistry and diagnostics, with their in vivo functions still being explored.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
Abstract:
A hundred years of lectin research has led to the development of lectinology as an independent field of study. Although lectinology is in part related to immunology, fundamental differences exist. Lectins are important tools in biochemistry, histochemistry and clinical diagnosis. The essential in vivo function of lectins is to combine glycoconjugates. The function of lectins in microorganisms and in animals is partially known, whereas the function of lectins in plants is mostly unclear. Of special interest, now as before, are the toxic lectins of the ricin type consisting of an A-chain (N-glycosidase) and a B-chain (D-galactose-specific lectin).
