Evolutionary history and stress regulation of the lectin superfamily in higher plants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Lectins are a class of carbohydrate-binding proteins. They play roles in various biological processes. However, little is known about their evolutionary history and their functions in plant stress regulation. The availability of full genome sequences from various plant species makes it possible to perform a whole-genome exploration for further understanding their biological functions.

Results

Higher plant genomes encode large numbers of lectin proteins. Based on their domain structures and phylogenetic analyses, a new classification system has been proposed. In this system, 12 different families have been classified and four of them consist of recently identified plant lectin members. Further analyses show that some of lectin families exhibit species-specific expa

SUBMITTER: Jiang SY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2846932 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature