Lectins and Glycoconjugates in Oncology


Book Description

Cellular glycoconjugates and their specific receptors, e.g. lectins, form a recognitive and informative transfer system that justifies special scientific and clinical attention. In various contributions reviewing the initiation and recent progress in this rapidly developing field advances in clinical oncology are discussed with regard to basic sciences as well as their application in clinical sciences. The approaches comprise reports from diverse fields such as biochemistry, cell biology, pathology and clinical oncology, addressing questions of how tumors grow and spread, and leading to the improvement of clinical management and tumor diagnosis.




Plant Lectins


Book Description

This volume surveys the chemistry, biochemistry, biosynthesis, metabolism and pharmacological properties of lectins. Lectins, which are most commonly found in plants, are widespread natural products with striking biological activities. Their specific ability to recognise and bind to simple or complex saccharides facilitates their role as effective information protein molecules. As agents of cell-to-cell recognition, lectins promote symbiosis between plants and specific nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. As natural defensive molecules, they can protect plants against predators such as bacteria, fungi and insects. As part of our diet, lectins are powerful exogenous growth factors in the small intestine and influence our health, the digestive function and the bacterial ecology of the alimentary tract. Lectins are also important research tools in preparative biochemistry and cell science.




The Lectins


Book Description

The Lectins: Properties, Functions, and Applications in Biology and Medicine is a 10-chapter text that deals with the advances in research studies on the properties, functions, and applications of lectins in biology and medicine. The first two chapters consider the historical development, physicochemical properties, isolation, and remarkable specificity toward sugars of lectins. These topics are followed by a discussion on the molecular aspects of protein evolution, with a particular emphasis on lectins, which provide an excellent example of a family of homologous proteins. The following chapters explore the diverse biological activities of lectins and how these properties are utilized for the isolation and characterization of carbohydrate-containing compounds in solution and on cells. A chapter focuses on the functions of lectins in their natural milieu. This text further covers the importance of lectins in nonplant systems as exemplified by lectins that occur in vertebrates, slime molds, and bacteria. The last chapter highlights the nutritional significance of the occurrence of lectins in plant foods such as legumes. This book is an ideal source for organic chemists, protein researchers, and workers in the fields of biology and medicine.




Antitumor Potential and other Emerging Medicinal Properties of Natural Compounds


Book Description

The modern unhealthy diet and lifestyle in conjunction with pathogens, environmental carcinogens and multiple other risk factors increase humans’ susceptibility to different diseases exemplified by elevated levels of cancers, cardiovascular and communicable diseases. Screening of potential drugs from medicinal plants and animals provides a promising strategy for the alleviation of the impact of these diseases. Components with potential medicinal applications include RIPs, RNases, lectins, protease inhibitors and numerous small compounds. These compounds have shown both preventive and therapeutic effects for humans. This book is a compilation of articles written by internationally renowned experts exploring the different uses of medicinal compounds in human therapeutics. Here we provide a comprehensive outlook on both qualitative and quantitative studies focusing on medicinal plants and animals, and establishing a link between laboratory research discovery and clinical applications.




Snake Venom Metalloproteinases


Book Description

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Snake Venom Metalloproteinases" that was published in Toxins




Glycosylation and Cancer


Book Description

Advances in Cancer Research provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. Here, once again, outstanding and original reviews are presented on a variety of topics. - Provides information on cancer research - Outstanding and original reviews - Suitable for researchers and students




Carbohydrate Antigens


Book Description

Developed from a symposium at the Fourth Chemical Congress of North America (202nd National Meeting of the ACS) in New York City, August 1991, chapter-papers present research on topics including how proteins recognize and bind oligosaccharides, synthesis and immunological properties of glycopeptide T-cell determinants, Vibrio cholerae polysaccharide studies, and purification of oligosaccharide antigens by weak affinity chromatography. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




Lectins and Cancer


Book Description

Molecular recognition undoubtedly governs any aspect of cellular interaction. To understand tumor cell growth regulation and spread, analysisof protein carbohydrate interactions can contribute to lead to the establishment of rational methods for diagnosis and therapy. Chemically and biochemically optimized preparation of adequate tools, their application for localization of receptor (tissue lectin) and ligand (cellular glycoconjugate) pairs in tumor cells and tumor sections and the usefulness of a lectin from a plant extract as potent immunomodulator indicate the prospect for a place of such techniques in pathology and oncology.




The Sugar Code


Book Description

A reader friendly overview of the structure and functional relevance of natural glycosylation and its cognate proteins (lectins), this book is also one of the few books to cover their role in health and disease. Edited by one of the pioneering experts in the field and written by a team of renowned researchers this resource is a perfect introduction for all students in life and medical sciences, biochemistry, chemistry and pharmacy. Website: WWW.WILEY-VCH.DE/HOME/THESUGARCODE




Lectins and Glycobiology


Book Description

The intriguing complexity, precision, and regulation of the wide range of biologi cal processes is determined by intricate mechanisms of molecular recognition. Their nature is under intense scrutiny. In addition to the well-appreciated interac tion of proteins either with amino acid or nucleotide sequences, the investigation of their interplay with carbohydrate elements of cellular glycoconjugates current ly exerts increasing attraction. In the group of carbohydrate-binding proteins, lec tins are distinguished from antibodies or ligand-affecting enzymes, according to the most recent definition. The thorough analysis of their structure and function is considered as a focus to collect a critical mass of information for delineating details of a further array of biochemical processes with pivotal physiological im pact. Following an already century-long history of scientific description, reflected by subjectively chosen highlights (see the Brief History of Lectin Research at page VI), the excitement in glycobiological research that prevails today can easily be ex plained by our growing awareness of the multifarious significance of a sugar-code system of biological information. This present notion unmistakably has an im pact on lines of research in diverse disciplines like cell and molecular biology, histochemistry, or clinical sciences. It also prompts inherent practical questions such as how to obtain lectins, or how to employ them as instruments in various assay systems with the best possible results. Thus, this book is devoted intentionally to cover the techniques in different research fields that deal with lectins.