Microbial lectins

Lectins are group of proteins which specifically binds to carbohydrate on the cell surface. Microbial lectins are the glycoproteins present in microorganisms which assists them to bind to host cell surfaces and the association among themselves. These properties render them to be an important tool in the diverse fields such as immunology, oncology, biotechnology, and microbiology. Lectins are extremely helpful to microbes since it assists their adherence to cell surface. When this function is prevented, it will lead to curtailing of several human microbial diseases. Adhesion property of lectins can be the basis of many upcoming applications and approaches in biomedical sciences. The interactions of lectins with carbohydrate moieties trigger the neutrophils to invade the infection site and it in turn initiates immune responses in humans. In contrast, the microbial lectins generally are incapable of eliciting immune response. There are several classes of microbial lectins based on their location, carbohydrate specificity, structure, and origin with diverse functions and applications.