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<p><strong>Lectins</strong> are carbohydrate sugar-binding proteins of non-immune origin that agglutinates cells or glycoproteins which are highly specific for their sugar moietiesprecipitates glycoconjugates.</p><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 182px"><img class="thumbimage" height="259" alt="lateral hemagglutinine" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Hemagglutinin_lateral.jpg/180px-Hemagglutinin_lateral.jpg" width="180" border="0" /><div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right"><img height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15" /></div>lateral hemagglutinine</div></div></div><p><script type="text/javascript">//<![CDATA[ if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } //]]></script></p><p> </p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline">Etymology</span></h2>
<p>The name ‘lectin’ is derived from the Latin word <em>legere</em>, meaning ‘to select’.</p>
<p>Most of the lectins are basically non-enzymic in action and non-immune in origin. Lectins occur ubiquitously in nature. They may bind carbohydrate moiety as such free in solution or carbohydrate moiety which is a part of protein/particulate body. They agglutinate cells and/or precipitates glycoconjugates.</p>
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<div class="thumbinner" style="WIDTH: 182px"><img class="thumbimage" height="206" alt="An oligosaccharide (shown in grey) bound in the binding site of a plant lectin (Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin IV in complex with the Lewis b blood group determinant). Only a part of the oligosaccharide (central, in grey) is shown for clarity." width="180" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/59/Gs4_sugar_all.png/180px-Gs4_sugar_all.png" width="180" border="0" />
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<div class="magnify" style="FLOAT: right"><img height="11" alt="" width="15" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" width="15" /></div>
An oligosaccharide (shown in grey) bound in the binding site of a plant lectin (<em>Griffonia simplicifolia</em> isolectin IV in complex with the Lewis b blood group determinant). Only a part of the oligosaccharide (central, in grey) is shown for clarity.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Sharon, N., Lis, H. Lectins, Second Edition (2003) Kluwer Academic </li>
<li><strong>The structure of a tunicate C-type lectin from Polyandrocarpamisakiensis complexed with D-galactose. </strong>Poget SF, Legge GB, Proctor MR, Butler PJ, Bycroft M, Williams RL. (1999) J. Mol. Biol., 290(4), 867-79.</li>
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