Lectins in Glycotechnology

Abstract

Vast knowledge on the biological functions of carbohydrate, especially as recognition marker/signal, has been accumulated during the past decade and led to the establishment of a new field of science, glycobiology. Also, there have been various impacts from the technology side relating to carbohydrate. For example, application of genetic engineering to the production of glycoproteins faced the problem of proper design and regulation of glycan chains in the glycoproteins for the production of biologically active molecule, On this background, the establishment of glycotechnology, a new field of biotechnology which aims to clarify the function of carbohydrate and utilize it, has been proposed mainly by Japanese researchers. Lectins which recognize and bind specific carbohydrates have two major roles in glycotechnology. Ore is the biological role as the molecule which recognizes the signal/marker written in a specific sugar sequences. Lectins are also important as valuable tools in various technology in the field of glycotechnology. In this article, the present situation on the studies of lectins is reviewed in relation to these two aspects. Basic studies on the molecular recognition of carbohydrates by lectins are also discussed.