Abstract
This chapter describes lectins. Lectins are useful reagents for the detection of the type and numbers of glycoproteins present on cellular membranes. They are being used to test the role of carbohydrate-containing substances in many membrane-mediated processes. Lectins are classified in terms of their ability to agglutinate certain cell types. It is advisable to use highly purified preparations of lectins, particularly for experiments that involve viable cells. Many lectins are purified to homogeneity from complex mixtures by affinity chromatography on columns containing carbohydrate supports. The structural requirements for binding to lectins of simple carbohydrate units suggests that the relative affinities of complex heterosaccharides present as part of glycoprotein molecules also depend on their detailed carbohydrate sequences. At low concentrations, the lectins would pick out the available glycoproteins that carry carbohydrate groups that show the highest affinity, and only when these sites have been saturated would interactions at other sites of lower affinity take place.
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