Front Plant Sci. 2019 Jan 29;10:36. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00036. eCollection 2019.
Frontiers in plant science
Sofie Van Holle, Els J M Van Damme
PMID: 30761173 PMCID: PMC6362431 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00036
Lectins are a large and diverse class of proteins, found in all kingdoms of life. Plants are known to express different types of carbohydrate-binding proteins, each containing at least one particular lectin domain which enables them to specifically recognize and bind carbohydrate structures. The group of plant lectins is heterogeneous in terms of structure, biological activity and function. Lectins control various aspects of plant development and defense. Some lectins facilitate recognition of exogenous danger signals or play a role in endogenous signaling pathways, while others are considered as storage proteins or involved in symbiotic relationships. In this study, we revisit the origin of the different plant lectin families in view of the recently reshaped tree of life. Due to new genomic sampling of previously unknown microbial lineages, the tree of life has expanded and was reshaped multiple times. In addition, more plant genomes especially from basal Phragmoplastophyta, bryophytes, and Salviniales (e.g.,
Keywords: evolutionary diversity; gene family evolution; lectin; lower plants; protein domain