Insect Lectins, the Decipherers of Sugar Code: Evolving Trends and Future Prospects

ABSTRACT Insects have evolved a wide range of innate immune responses as a result of the variety of substrates they consume and the settings in which they reside. For this reason, they represent a nearly limitless source of biologically active compounds that possess unparalleled applications. Of particular interest in our current review are the lectins, the key elements of membrane‐bound or extracellular pattern‐recognition receptors (PRRs). Lectins are proteins that specifically recognize and interact with glycans non‐covalently. Besides their crucial role in insect immunity, lectins are at the pinnacle of research owing to their prospective applications. This is attributed to their capacity to discern subtle variations in the cell surface carbohydrate structures that are crucial for protein‐carbohydrate recognition. This review focuses on emerging trends in research on insect lectins with the objective of emphasizing the significance of further investigation that can perhaps help in the exploration of their probable applications.