Handbook of Plant Lectins

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:<br> * what are lectins?<br> * their carbohydrate-binding specificity<br> * effects on nutrition and immunology<br> * use in histochemistry<br> * application as therapeutic agents<br> 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:<br> * isolation and characterisation;<br> * sugar binding specificity;<br> * biological activities;<br> * applications;<br> * commercial availability; and,<br> * a bibliography.<br> 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.