Lectins

Lectins - carbohydrate-binding proteins involved in a variety of recognition processes - exhibit considerable structural diversity. Three new:lectin folds and further elaborations of known folds have been described recently Large variability in quaternary association resulting from small alterations in essentially the same tertiary structure is a properly exhibited specially by legume:lectins, The strategies used by lectins to generate carbohydrate specificity include the extensive use of water bridges, post-translational modification and oligomerisation. Recent results pertaining to influenza and foot-and-mouth viruses further elaborate the role of lectins in infection.