Lectins

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins which possess the ability to bind specifically sugars. They have no enzyme activity and are not antibodies. Lectins are ubiquitous in nature, being found in all kinds of organisms (virus, microorganisms, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates). Lectins are usually oligomeric proteins and have many binding sites. The binding constant of the specific free sugar is generaly many orders of magnitude lower than the binding constant of a glycoconjugate (glycolipid, glycoprotein…) containing this sugar. Lectins agglutinate cells, some lectins are even blood type specific, but they are also able to recognise cells surface glycans allowing to distinguish between different cells species and states. Furthermore some lectins stimulate lymphocyte and induce mitosis.

The lectins have been used for :

• Studies of glycobiological interactions with glycans or glycans mimics
• Detection, isolation, and structural studies of glycoproteins
• Study the dynamics of the cell surface glycoconju gates
• Cell identification and to separate subpopulation of cells and subcellular organelles – Study endocytosis, neoplastic transformation
• Mitogenic stimulation of lymphocytes
• Glyco-biomarkers dicovery and new diagnostics assays design

Products quality

Home made lectins either purified from natural sources or cloned and produced in our laboratory

• Each lectin is carefully controled according to our specifications:
• Purity ≥ 90%
• Binding specificity (performed on a range of reference glycoproteins and neoglycoproteins)
• Avidity
• Each lectin is validated in our lectin array technology GLYcoPROFILE®

On request all lectins references can be labelled for :

• colorimetric readout
• fluorescent readout