Springer Animal Lectins: Form, Function and Clinical Applications

Animal Lectins: Form, Function and Clinical Applications presents up-to-date knowledge of animal lectins. Detailed descriptions on biological activities, tissue and/or subcellular distribution, molecular structure, gene organization, possible functions, clinical applications, lectin-ligand interactions and their intervention for therapeutic purposes are provided. The recently discovered C-type lectins as well as further novel super-families of this group of molecules are described in detail. Furthermore, the clinical significance of animal lectins in inflammatory diseases, defects of immune defense and autoimmunity are described and their application as drugs and therapeutic targets is discussed. With the increasing interest in lectins in biomedical research and their therapeutic applications, this book on animal lectins and associated proteins is a must have for researchers in the area. From the Back Cover Animal Lectins: Form, Function and Clinical Applications presents up-to-date knowledge of animal lectins. Detailed descriptions on biological activities, tissue and/or subcellular distribution, molecular structure, gene organization, possible functions, clinical applications, lectin-ligand interactions and their intervention for therapeutic purposes are provided. The recently discovered C-type lectins as well as further novel super-families of this group of molecules are described in detail. Furthermore, the clinical significance of animal lectins in inflammatory diseases, defects of immune defense and autoimmunity are described and their application as drugs and therapeutic targets is discussed. With the increasing interest in lectins in biomedical research and their therapeutic applications, this book on animal lectins and associated proteins is a must have for researchers in the area. About the Author Dr. G. S. Gupta is a former Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. His primary areas of research are Molecular and Cell Biology, Enzymology and Protein Chemistry, and Radiation Biology. As a visiting researcher, he has worked at many institutions, including Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, the Center of Immunopathology and Experimental Immunology, INSERM, Paris and the Center of Cytogenetics and Immunogenetics, INSERM, Villejuif (France). He has been honored by Indian agencies as Emeritus Scientist by CSIR, Emeritus Professor by University Grants Commission (UGC), and Emeritus Medical Scientist by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Professor Gupta has made significant research contribution in scientific research and published 155 original research articles and reviews in Books and international journals of repute. He is the recipient of several awards and international fellowships including a WHO fellowship, the INSERM French Government fellowship, and the fellowship under Indo-French Exchange programme. Indian Council of Medical Research has honored him by conferring Swaran Kanta Dingley Oration Award of 1993 for his research contribution and extending knowledge in male reproduction. Dr. Gupta is the author of Proteomics of Spermatogenesis published by Springer (New York, USA) in 2005 and has contributed 34 reviews on the subject, as a single author. Associated with national and international scientific societies, he has chaired scientific sessions and delivered invited lectures at national and International conferences. Professor G.S. Gupta holds master’s degrees in Physical Chemistry and Biochemistry from Lucknow University, Lucknow, and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Panjab University, Chandigarh (India).