Target Cell Glycosylation Determines the Biodistribution of Plant Lectin Viscumin

We studied the possibility of using viscumin lectin (MLI) for targeted delivery of antitumor drugs. Affinity of MLI for more than 600 oligosaccharide structures was determined and the glycosylation profiles of cell surface in various mouse tissues were analyzed. It was found that biodistribution of MLI was determined by not only expression of oligosaccharides specifically recognized by the lectin in tissue cells, but also by the structure of glycan in general.