Mar. Drugs 2015, 13, 5059-5101; doi:10.3390/md13085059 OPEN ACCESS marine drugs ISSN 1660-3397 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs Review Porifera Lectins: Diversity, Physiological Roles and Biotechnological Potential Johan Gardères 1,2,3, Marie-Lise Bourguet-Kondracki 1, Bojan Hamer 2, Renato Batel 2, Heinz C. Schröder 3 and Werner E. G. Müller 3, * 1 Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes, UMR 7245 CNRS, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 54, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris 75005, France; E-Mails:
[email protected] (J.G.);
[email protected] (M.-L.B.-K.) 2 Laboratory for Marine Molecular Biology, Center for Marine Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, G. Paliaga 5, 52210 Rovinj, Croatia; E-Mails:
[email protected] (B.H.);
[email protected] (R.B.) 3 ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, Mainz D-55128, Germany; E-Mail:
[email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-6131-39-25910; Fax: +49-6131-39-25243. Academic Editor: Anake Kijjoa Received: 30 April 2015 / Accepted: 27 July 2015 / Published: 7 August 2015 Abstract: An overview on the diversity of 39 lectins from the phylum Porifera is presented, including 38 lectins, which were identified from the class of demosponges, and one lectin from the class of hexactinellida. Their purification from crude extracts was mainly performed by using affinity chromatography and gel filtration techniques. Other protocols were also developed in order to collect and study sponge lectins, including screening of sponge genomes and expression in heterologous bacterial systems.