Specificity of lectins

Detecting and assaying lectins are made possible by the ability of lectins to agglutinate red blood cells. The specificity of lectins is in terms of the simple sugars that inhibit the agglutination assay. Some lectins, of course, recognize somewhat more complex carbohydrate structures. Table 2 gives alist of some lectins to illustrate the features of this class of proteins. 

Yamamoto K, Ito S, Yasukawa F, Konami Y, Matsumoto N. Measurement of the carbohydrate-binding specificity of lectins by a multiplexed bead-based flow c)4ometric assay. Anal. Biochem. 2005 336 28-38. 

Goldstein, l.J. and Poretz, R.D. (1986) Isolation, physicochemical characterization and carbohydratebinding specificity of lectins. In I.E. Liener, N. Sharon and l.J. Goldstein (Eds.), The Lectins Properties, Functions, and Applications in Biology and Medicine. Academic Press, New York. 

An anti-B haemagglutinin from a Streptococcus species has been reported. 2-0-(2-Acetamido-2-deoxy-a-D-gIucopyranosyl)-D-mannose, methyl 2-0-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-jS-D-glucopyranosyl)-a-D-mannopyranoside, and methyl 2-0-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy- S-D-glucopyranosyI)-a-D-mannofuranoside have been used to demonstrate subtle differences in the binding specificities of lectins from Lens culinaris and Pisum sativum and of concanavalin A. ... 

Uhlenbruck, G., Pardoe, G. L, and Bird, G. W, G., 1969, On the specificity of lectins with a broad agglutination spectrum. II. Studies on the nature of the T-antigen and the specific receptors for the lectin of Arachis hypogaea, Z. Immun, Forsch. 138 423. 

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