Project

Marine Algae – An Important Source for Lectins

The role of various sugars on the surface glycans in bacterial /fungal pathogenesis of plants and animals is well known. The focus of our research group is to hit upon proteins which are capable of interacting with these sugars. A class of proteins called ‘’lectins” which are widely present in natural sources like plants, marine algae etc. are very specific in their interaction with various sugars/glycoproteins. The interactions will be studied by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) and Surface Plasmon resonance (SPR). Our aim is to isolate and characterize novel lectins from marine algae followed by exploring their biological activity.  The role of proteins other than lectins as bioactive molecules will also be studied.