Lectinomics II. A highway to biomedical/clinical diagnostics.
The review assesses current status and attempts to forecast trends in the development of lectin biorecognition technology. The progressive trend is characterized scientometrically and reflects the current transient situation, when standard low-throughput lectin-based techniques are being replaced by a novel microarray-based techniques offering high-throughput of detection. The technology is still in its infancy (validation phase), but already shows promise as an efficient tool to decipher the enormous complexity of the glycocode that influences physiological status of the cell. Further enhancement in robustness and flexibility of lectin microarrays is predicted by using recombinant and artificial lectins that will render production of lectin microarrays cost-effective and more affordable. Mass spectrometry is expected to play an important role to characterize the binding profile of new lectins. Differences in glycan recognition by lectins and anti-carbohydrate antibodies are given on a molecular basis, and strong and weak points of both biorecognition molecules in diagnosis are briefly discussed.
Gemeiner
Peter
P
Department of Glycobiotechnology, Center for Glycomics, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-845 38 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Mislovicová
Danica
D
Tkác
Ján
J
Svitel
Juraj
J
Pätoprstý
Vladimír
V
Hrabárová
Eva
E
Kogan
Grigorij
G
Kozár
Tibor
T
D000906:Antibodies; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D000906:Antibodies; D002241:Carbohydrates; D037102:Lectins; D011506:Proteins