title: Galactose-specific seed lectins from Cucurbitaceae.
abstract: Lectins, the carbohydrate binding proteins have been studied extensively in view of their ubiquitous nature and wide-ranging applications. As they were originally found in plant seed extracts, much of the work on them was focused on plant seed lectins, especially those from legume seeds whereas much less attention was paid to the lectins from other plant families. During the last two decades many studies have been reported on lectins from the seeds of Cucurbitaceae species. The main focus of the present review is to provide an overview of the current knowledge on these proteins, especially with regard to their physico-chemical characterization, interaction with carbohydrates and hydrophobic ligands, 3-dimensional structure and similarity to type-II ribosome inactivating proteins. The future outlook of research on these galactose-specific proteins is also briefly considered.
authors.forename: Musti J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Swamy
authors.forename: Kavitha
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marapakala
authors.forename: Nabil Ali M
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad - 500 046, India. mjssc@uohyd.ernet.in.
authors.forename: Roopa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kenoth
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D019662:Cucurbitaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005690:Galactose / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008024:Ligands; D009705:Nucleosides / Q000378:metabolism; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D058767:Protein Unfolding; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D008024:Ligands; D009705:Nucleosides; D037121:Plant Lectins; D005690:Galactose