Concanavalin A

Concanavalin A is a plant lectin that has been found in jack bean (C. ensiformis) and is involved in plant defense.{66505} It is formed from the 290-amino acid precursor protein pro-concanavalin A via deglycosylation by N-glycanase, peptide cleavage, and re-ligation to form the mature 237-amino acid monomer, which oligomerizes to form a tetramer. Each concanavalin A monomer has a carbohydrate recognition domain, which binds to ?-D-mannose, ?-D-glucose, and ?-D-fructose, and a metal binding site that is involved in stability.{66505,66506} Concanavalin A has diverse biological activities, including erythrocyte agglutination, mitogenic stimulation, and anticancer activity.{66505,66506,23901} It has been used in affinity purification of various glycoproteins, as well as to induce T cell activation in vitro and liver injury in experimental mouse models of autoimmune hepatitis.{66507,23898,23900}