Biologically Active Substance
lectin
lec·tin [ lek-tin ]
Subclass of:
Proteins
Definitions related to lectin:
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Carbohydrate-binding proteins which may also have other functions (mitogen, receptor, etc.).CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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Proteins that specifically bind to the branching sugar molecules of glycoproteins and glycolipids on cell surfaces to cause biochemical changes. They are often classified according to either the saccharide or sugar specificity.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Proteins that share the common characteristic of binding to carbohydrates. Some ANTIBODIES and carbohydrate-metabolizing proteins (ENZYMES) also bind to carbohydrates, however they are not considered lectins. PLANT LECTINS are carbohydrate-binding proteins that have been primarily identified by their hemagglutinating activity (HEMAGGLUTININS). However, a variety of lectins occur in animal species where they serve diverse array of functions through specific carbohydrate recognition.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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