Abstract
Within the past few years, lectins have become a well-established means for understanding varied aspects of cancer and metastasis. Evidence is now emerging that lectins are dynamic contributors to tumor cell recognition (surface markers), cell adhesion and localization, signal transduction across membranes, mitogenic stimulation, augmentation of host immune defense, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis. To advance understanding of these lectin-dependent processes, attempts are being made to discover new lectins that have one or more of these functions and to develop lectin- (or glycoconjugate-) based tools that could be used to home in on tumor cells. This review will summarize current research on the lectins and recent advances in the development of lectin-based diagnostic and therapeutic tools for cancer. Additionally, the future potential of lectin-based diagnosis and therapy is discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1995 |
Keywords
- Cancer
- Diagnosis
- Glycoconjugates
- Lectins
- Metastasis
- Therapy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology