Lectin from marine invertebrates

Many lectins have been detected and isolated from various plants and animals, including invertebrates. Lectins are generally considered to nonenzymatic proteins which recognize specific carbohydrate structures and agglutinate a variety of animal cells. In recent years, several lectins have also been isolated from marine invertebrates (Muramoto and Kamiya, 1986 Giga et al., 1985 Suzuki et al., 1990 Hatakeyama et al., 1993 Kawagishi... 

Marine invertebrates express different types of defence proteins in the blood plasma, which have antimicrobial effects. A number of lectins from immune cells or haemolymph from marine invertebrates have been reported... 

GOWDA N M, GOSWAMi u and KHAN MI (2008), T-antigen binding lectin with antibacterial activity from marine invertebrate, sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra) possible involvement in differential recognition of bacteria , J Invertebr Pathol, 99, 141-145. 

Odinstova, N.A., Belogortseva, N.I., Ermak, A.V., Molchanova, V.I., and Lu yanov, P.A. (1999) Adhesive and growth properties of lectin from the ascidian Didemnum tematanum on cultivated marine invertebrate cells. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1448, 381—389. 

Hatakeyama, T., Kohzaki, H., Nagatomo, H., and Yamasaki, N., 1994, Purification and characterization of four Ca" -dependent lectins from the marine invertebrate, Cucumaria echinata. J. Biochem. 116 209-214. 

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