Leguminous lectin family Leguminous lectin family In molecular biology, the leguminous lectin family is a family of lectin proteins. It is one of the largest lectin families with more than 70 lectins reported in a review in 1990. Leguminous lectins consist of two or four subunits, each containing one carbohydrate-binding site. The interaction with sugars requires tightly bound calcium and manganese ions. The structural similarities of these lectins are reported by the primary structural analyses and X-ray crystallographic studies. X-ray studies have shown that the folding of the polypeptide chains in the region of the carbohydrate-binding sites is also similar, despite differences in
Keratin about 10 µm across, with cores and coating, and may be arranged in up to 10 layers, also in plaques of variable shape. Adult hornets also use silk as a glue, as do spiders. Some infectious fungi, such as those that cause athlete's foot and ringworm (i.e. the dermatophytes), or "Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis" (Chytrid fungus), feed on keratin. Diseases caused by mutations in the keratin genes include: Keratin expression is helpful in determining epithelial origin in anaplastic cancers. Tumors that express keratin include carcinomas, thymomas, sarcomas and trophoblastic neoplasms. Furthermore, the precise expression pattern of keratin subtypes allows prediction of the