In 1973, when the first review on lectins appeared in Annual Review of Biochemistry (1),
interest in these sugar-specific, cell-agglutinating proteins (2, 3) was just starting to gain
momentum and the literature on the subject was limited in volume and in scope. Since then,
over 15,000 articles dealing with lectins have been published. The ubiquitous occurrence of
lectins-in plants, animals, and microorganisms-has been firmly established. The number of
purified lectins has increased from a dozen to well over 100. Whereas ten years ago only the …

Lectins as Cell Recognition Molecules Page 1 Lectins as Cell Recognition Molecules NATHAN
SHARON AND HALINA Lis Lectins on cell surfaces mediate cell-cell interactions by combining
with complementary carbohydrates on apposing cells. They )lay a key role in the control of
various nornal and patologc processes in living organisms. R ECOGNITION IS A CENTRAL
EVENT IN A VARIETY OF biological phenomena and the first step in numerous processes
based on cell-cell interactions, such as fertilization, embryogenesis, cell migration, organ …

Proteins that possess the remarkable ability to agglutinate erythrocytes and other types of
cell are widely distributed in nature. Such agglutinins are found predominantly in the seeds
of plants, in~" articular those of the legumes, but they are also present in other parts of plants
such as roots, leaves,'and bark (1-5). In addition, they occur in invertebrates, for example, in
snails and the horseshoe crab, and in lower vertebrates such as fish (6). Plant agglutinins
are commonly referred to as phytohemagglutinins or phytoagglutinins. However, as cell …