One, two, many: Strategies to alter the number of carbohydrate binding sites of lectins

Carbohydrates are more than an energy-storage. They are ubiquitously found on cells and most proteins, where they encode biological information. Lectins bind these carbohydrates and are essential for translating the encoded information into biological functions and processes. Hundreds of lectins are known, and they are found in all domains of life. For half a century, researchers have been preparing variants of lectins in which the binding sites are varied. In this way, the traits of the lectins such as the affinity, avidity and specificity towards their ligands as well as their biological efficacy were changed. These efforts helped to unravel the biological impor-tance of lectins and resulted in improved variants for biotechnological exploitation and potential medical ap-plications. This review gives an overview on the methods for the preparation of artificial lectins and complexes thereof and how reducing or increasing the number of binding sites affects their function.

Automated summary

Carbohydrates play a crucial role in encoding biological information and functions, while lectins act as key binding molecules to translate this encoded information. Researchers have altered the binding sites of lectins, changing their affinity, avidity, specificity, and biological efficacy, leading to improvements in biotechnological exploitation and potential medical applications.