Plant Lectins [Paperback]

Lectins are natural products found mainly in plants. Their properties are examined in this book.Lectins are natural products found mainly in plants. Their properties are examined in this book.Lectins are natural products found mainly in plants. Their properties are examined in this book.This volume surveys the chemistry, biochemistry, biosynthesis, metabolism, and pharmacological properties of lectins. After a chemically orientated first chapter dealing with specificity and a second chapter on structure, in the rest of the book lectins are looked at from a biological point of view. Their involvement in metabolism and biosynthesis, the distribution and localization in plant tissues and their role in interactions with the outside world are discussed in chapters 3 and 4. The last two chapters deal with the effects of lectins on various cells of the body including blood, gut, and nerve cells with particular emphasis on medical, nutritional, and general biological aspects.Introduction; 1. Lectins and their specificity; 2. Structure of lectins; 3. Localization and biosynthesis in plants; 4. Biological functions in plants; 5. Effects on blood cells; 6. General effects on animals cells; References; Glossary; Index. ...can be recommended as an invaluable source of information for the more advanced student and the specialist whose research involves the use of lectins... Quarterly Review of Biology