Algal Lectins and their Potential Uses
Abstract: Lectins
(hemagglutinins), or carbohydrate-binding proteins, are ubiquitous in nature
and play important roles in many biological processes. They bind mono- and
oligosaccharides reversibly with high specificity, but are devoid of catalytic
activity, and in contrast to antibodies, are not products of an immune
response. The erythrocyte agglutination or hemagglutination activity of lectins
is a major attribute of these proteins and is used routinely for their
detection and characterization. Due to their biochemical and biological
properties, lectins attract a great deal of attention in the fields of
medicine, molecular biology, biochemistry, and glycobiology. Lectins have been
isolated and characterized from marine algae. Many of algal lectins generally
have common characteristics of low molecular weight, no divalent cations
requirements for their activity, and have an affinity for glycoproteins but not
for monosaccharides. These properties imply that they may possess molecular
structures and carbohydrate-binding specificities distinct from known lectins
from other sources. Recent investigations revealed that algal lectins have the
strict binding specificity to some definite oligosaccharide structures and are
grouped into several types on the basis of oligosaccharide-binding specificity.
Thus, marine algae are promising sources of novel lectin molecules for basic
research and application. In spite of the progress made in biochemical
characterization of algal lectins, additional information are still needed for
a more comprehensive understanding of their molecular structures and possible
biological functions for the future applications.
Keywords: lectins, algae,
characteristics
Author: Danar Praseptiangga
Journal Code: jpperikanangg150033
