title: Lectins in human pathogenic fungi.
abstract: Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins widely distributed in nature. They constitute a highly diverse group of proteins consisting of many different protein families that are, in general, structurally unrelated. In the last few years, mushroom and other fungal lectins have attracted wide attention due to their antitumour, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory activities. The present mini-review provides concise information about recent developments in understanding lectins from human pathogenic fungi. A bibliographic search was performed in the Science Direct and PubMed databases, using the following keywords "lectin", "fungi", "human" and "pathogenic". Lectins present in fungi have been classified; however, the role played by lectins derived from human pathogenic fungi in infectious processes remains uncertain; thus, this is a scientific field requiring more research. This manuscript is part of the series of works presented at the "V International Workshop: Molecular genetic approaches to the study of human pathogenic fungi" (Oaxaca, Mexico, 2012).
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Belém
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gallegos
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Socorro Pina
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico; Unidad de Investigación en Bioquímica, Instituto Tecnológico de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. Electronic address: fuegoblanco136@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000378:metabolism; D041221:Candida glabrata / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D006658:Histoplasma / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D037102:Lectins / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009181:Mycoses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D037102:Lectins; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen
keywords: Fungi; Hongos; Lectinas; Lectins; Pathogen; Patógeno