Frankenfoods reduce global warming

[roseBudd]

33. Are you a scientist?

"Not all lectins are toxic. They are ubiquitous carbohydrate binding proteins. All mammalian cells and blood and all plant nuts, seeds, and bulbs, including many non-toxic food components, contain lectins.The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version.Destroy user interface control2 Some of these, in red kidney beans for example, are toxic and need to be destroyed by heat before consumption,The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version.Destroy user interface control3 but others such as tomato lectin are apparently harmless when eaten raw. Many plant lectins have an insecticidal or antifungal role in the plant. Some of these food lectins have interesting biological effects. We have recently shown that the common edible mushroom lectin that is often eaten raw selectively inhibits nuclear protein import.The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version.Destroy user interface control4 The snowdrop lectin (GNA) binds to mannose, which is minimally expressed in mammalian intestine but extensively expressed in the intestine of sap sucking insects. Thus expression of this lectin in food plants might render them unattractive to insects but safe for human consumption, particularly if the food (potato) is always cooked before ingestion."