Lectin
(Science: plant biology) proteins obtained particularly from the seeds of leguminous plants, but also from many other plant and animal sources, that have binding sites for specific mono or oligosaccharides in cell walls or membranes. They thereby change the physiology of the membrane to cause agglutination, mitosis, or other biochemical changes in the cell.
Named originally for the ability of some to selectively agglutinate human red blood cells of particular blood groups. Lectins such as concanavalin a and wheat germ agglutinin are widely used as analytical and preparative agents in the study of glycoproteins.
Dictionary > Lectin
You will also like...

Mātauranga Māori and Science
Mātauranga Māori is the living knowledge system of the indigenous people of New Zealand, including the relationships t..

Plant Tissues
Plant organs are comprised of tissues working together for a common function. The different types of plant tissues are m..

Cell Biology
The cell is defined as the fundamental, functional unit of life. Some organisms are comprised of only one cell whereas o..

Population Regulation in an Ecosystem
With regard to the population size of a species and what factors may affect them, two factors have been defined. They ar..

Chemical Composition of the Body
The body is comprised of different elements with hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen as the major four. This tutorial..

Genetic Control – On and Off Genes
Genes are the blueprint of our bodies, a blueprint that creates a variety of proteins essential to any organism's surviv..