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Insect galectins: Roles in immunity and development
- Source :
- Glycoconjugate Journal. 19:607-614
- Publication Year :
- 2002
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2002.
-
Abstract
- As evidenced by the reviews in this special issue of Glycoconjugate Journal, much research is focused on determining functions for mammalian galectins. However, the identification of precise functions for mammalian galectins may be complicated by redundancy in tissue expression and in target cell recognition of the many mammalian galectins. Therefore, lower organisms may be useful in deciphering precise functions for galectins. Unfortunately, some genetically manipulable model systems such as Caenorhabditis elegans may have more galectins than mammals. Recently, galectins were identified in two well-studied insect systems, Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae. In addition to the powerful genetic manipulation available in these insect models, there is a sophisticated understanding of many biological processes in these organisms that can be directly compared and applied to mammalian systems. Understanding the roles of galectins in insects may provide insight into precise functions of galectins in mammals.
- Subjects :
- Embryo, Nonmammalian
Insecta
animal structures
Galectins
media_common.quotation_subject
Insect
Computational biology
Biochemistry
Immunity
Anopheles
otorhinolaryngologic diseases
Animals
Molecular Biology
Caenorhabditis elegans
Galectin
media_common
Innate immune system
biology
fungi
Cell Biology
biology.organism_classification
Cell biology
stomatognathic diseases
Drosophila melanogaster
Tissue expression
Identification (biology)
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 02820080
- Volume :
- 19
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Glycoconjugate Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....765b7f2257252f8f6680d65d717f807a