ANIMAL MODELS FOR ASSESSING BIOLOGICAL ROLES OF ANIMAL LECTINS

AHMED, H; RABINOVICH, GA; JACKSON, SS; SAITO, K; TASUMI, S; VASTA, GR

ANIMAL LECTINS: A FUNCTIONAL VIEW

CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Publishers

Año: 2008; p. 58 - 83

Rodents, particularly mice, are well established animal models in experimental research by virtue of their remarkable similarities with humans, short lifespan, rapid reproductive cycle and their relatively simple maintenance and handling. A number of knockout models have been generated to examine the biological functions of endogenous glycan-binding proteins. Targeted disruption of lectin genes in vivo has provided a first round picture of the physiopathological relevance of lectins in a wide spectrum of biological events.  In addition, compelling evidence demonstrates the therapeutic benefit of exogenous lectins or the inhibition of protein-glycan interactions in a variety of pathological disorders including inflammation, neurodegeneration and cancer (1). We will highlight here some examples illustrating the use of mouse models to study the role of glycan-binding proteins, particularly galectins, in a number of physiopathological settings.