Fungal Lectins: Emerging Glyco-Immune Checkpoint Modulators for Cancer Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Therapy

Clicks: 2
ID: 327758
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #49 of 51 articles by views in glycobiology

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Lectins are non-immunogenic, non-enzymatic proteins distributed across microbes, fungi, plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Their carbohydrate-binding specificity forms the basis of diverse biomedical applications, particularly in immunomodulation, prognosis, and diagnosis. Among these, fungal lectins have gained attention as promising biomolecules, although they remain less explored than their plant and animal counterparts. Several fungal lectins, including Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL), Laetiporus sulphureus lectin (LSL), Marasmius oreades agglutinin (MOA), Agrocybe aegerita galectin (AAG), and Rhizoctonia bataticola lectin (RBL), demonstrate unique biological activities. They regulate immune responses by influencing cytokine expression (e.g. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10), act on innate and adaptive immune cells, and initiate apoptosis or necrosis via intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Their diagnostic potential lies in recognizing aberrant glycans such as TF and Tn antigens, while their prognostic relevance is associated with monitoring glycosylation changes during cancer progression. Collectively, fungal lectins represent versatile molecules capable of serving as both functional immunomodulators and sensitive glycan-based probes. Despite extensive in vitro studies, their clinical application remains limited by insufficient in vivo validation and translational research. Advancing fungal lectins into biomedical practice requires systematic evaluation of their safety, specificity, and therapeutic potential. This review consolidates current knowledge on fungal lectins in immunomodulation, prognosis, and diagnostics, and highlights their translational prospects. Future studies should prioritize in vivo evaluation, biosensor integration, and protein engineering approaches to fully exploit fungal lectins as next-generation tools in immunotherapy and precision medicine.
Reference Key
openalex_W7211964073 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Kavita Y. Hiremath, Disha Gupta, Maruti J. Gurav, Ranit Roy, Amrutha Chidananda, Maruti J. Gurav
Journal glycobiology
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/glycob/cwag072
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/glycob/cwag072
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.