Current Protein and Peptide Science - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2015

In the last decade, a new class of low abundant plant l ectins was identified. These proteins are expressed after exposure of the plant to different stress factors and changing environmental conditions, and therefore are referred to as “inducible” lectins. Interestingly, these lectins accumulate in the nucleocytoplasmic compartment of plant cells. At present at least six carbohydrate recognition domains have been identified within Read More

Lectins, the carbohydrate binding proteins have been studied extensively in view of their ubiquitous nature and wide-ranging applications. As they were originally found in plant seed extracts, much of the work on them was focused on plant seed lectins, especially those from legume seeds whereas much less attention was paid to the lectins from other plant families. During the last two decades many studies have been repo Read More

N-glycosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) consists of the transfer of a preassembled glycan conserved among species (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2) from a lipid donor to a consensus sequence within a nascent protein that is entering the ER. The protein-linked glycans are then processed by glycosidases and glycosyltransferases in the ER producing specific structures that serve as signalling molecules for the fate of the foldin Read More

Lysosomal biogenesis is an important process in eukaryotic cells to maintain cellular homeostasis. The key components that are involved in the biogenesis such as the lysosomal enzymes, their modifications and the mannose 6-phosphate receptors have been well studied and their evolutionary conservation across mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrates is clearly established. Invertebrate lysosomal biogenesis Read More

Morphogens exert their effects over long distances, typically by spreading from cell to cell to activate signal transduction in surrounding tissues in concentration-dependent manner. One example of a morphogen is the signaling molecule Hedgehog (Hh), which controls growth and patterning during development and has also been implicated in the progression of numerous cancers. To this end, accessory mechanisms that rele Read More

A key event in inflammatory disease is the transendothelial recruitment of leukocytes from the circulation to the site of inflammation. Intense research in the past decades indicates that the polyanionic carbohydrate heparan sulphate (HS) modulates multiple steps in the leukocyte recruitment cascade. Leukocyte recruitment is initiated by endothelial cell activation and presentation of chemokines to rolling leukocyt Read More