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:* what are lectins?* their carbohydrate-binding specificity* effects on nutrition and immunology* use in histochemistry* application as therapeutic agentsPart 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.