Glycan arrays to decipher the specificity of plant lectins

Abstract

In recent years, evidence has been accumulating that protein-carbohydrate interactions play an important role in host-pathogen interaction(s), development, cell-cell communication, and cell signaling. To study the protein-carbohydrate recognition phenomena that take place within or at the surface of a cell, it is requisite to have the appropriate tools for dissecting this type of interaction. During the past decade, microarray technology has successfully been introduced into the field of glycobiology. These carbohydrate or glycan microarrays allow the rapid and comprehensive screening of carbohydrate-binding proteins for interaction with a large set of carbohydrate structures and characterization of their carbohydrate-binding properties. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.