Intelectin (ITLN) is a new type of glycan‐binding lectin. It has been demonstrated to agglutinate bacteria probably due to its carbohydrate‐binding capacity, suggesting its role in an innate immune response. It is involved not only in many physiological processes but also in some human diseases such as asthma, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. Up to now, intelectin orthologs have been identified in placozoans, urochordatas, cephalochordates and several vertebrates, such as cyclostomata, fish, amphibians and mammals. Although the sequences of intelectins in different species are conserved, their expression patterns, quaternary structures and functions differ considerably among and within species. We summarize the evolution of the intelectin gene family, the tissue distribution, structure and functions of intelectins. We conclude that intelectin plays a role in innate immune response and there are still potential functions of intelectin awaiting discovery.

中文翻译：

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整合素的比较评价。

Intelectin（ITLN）是一种新型的聚糖结合凝集素。它被证明可以凝集细菌，可能是由于它具有碳水化合物结合能力，表明它在先天免疫反应中的作用。它不仅涉及许多生理过程，还涉及一些人类疾病，例如哮喘，心脏病，炎症性肠病，慢性阻塞性肺疾病和癌症。迄今为止，已经在鼠疫动物，urochordatas，头针虫和一些脊椎动物如气孔，鱼类，两栖动物和哺乳动物中鉴定了intelectin直系同源物。尽管在不同物种中整合素的序列是保守的，但是它们的表达模式，四级结构和功能在物种之间和物种内部差异很大。我们总结了intelectin基因家族的进化，组织分布，整合素的结构和功能。我们得出的结论是，intelectin在先天性免疫应答中起作用，并且仍有待发现的intelectin潜在功能。