title: N-glycolylneuraminic acid specific lectin from Pila globosa snail.
abstract: A N-glycolylneuraminic acid-specific lectin (PAL) has been purified from an albumin gland extract of the apple snail, Pila globosa. Purification is conducted on a bovine submaxillary mucin-Sepharose 4B affinity matrix followed by gel filtration on a Sepharose 6B column. The lectin agglutinates rabbit erythrocytes. The hemagglutination activity is dependent on Ca2+ concentration in a significant manner but with a remarkable behaviour. The lectin is a trimeric glycoprotein of native Mr 440 kDa with 25% carbohydrate and is composed of three nonidentical subunits of molecular weights 190, 145, and 105 kDa. It has a pI of 7.0. The lectin exhibits a unique and strict specificity toward N-glycolylneuraminic acid and this phenomenon discriminates it from other known sialic acid binding lectins. The uniqueness indicates the absolute need for a glycolyl substitution on the amino residue and of a glyceryl side chain on the exocyclic part and an axial -COOH group in neuraminic acid. The presence of an acetyl substitution on the exocyclic part impedes lectin-ligand interaction.
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Jadavpur, Calcutta.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swarnakar
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarkar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006384:Hemagglutination; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D037102:Lectins / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009438:Neuraminic Acids; D011817:Rabbits; D012908:Snails
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D037102:Lectins; D009438:Neuraminic Acids; C069762:Pila globosa snail lectin; C032592:N-glycolylneuraminic acid