The distribution and localization of the fucose-binding lectin in rat tissues and the identification of a high affinity form of the mannose/N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectin in rat liver

A small-scale affinity chromatographic procedure was developed to screen for the presence of fucose and mannose/N-acetylglucosamine-binding lectins in small amounts of rat tissues. Of all tissues examined, only the liver contained the fucose-binding lectin, whereas both liver and blood serum contained the mannose/N-acetylglucosamine lectin. By means of immunocytological methods using antibodies to hepatic lectins, the fucose lectin was shown to be uniquely present in Kupffer cells and absent in all other types of rat macrophages examined. The binding and uptake of different neoglycoproteins by nonparenchymal cell fractions of liver indicated that the fucose-binding lectin was either not responsible for the uptake or that more than one lectin was acting. With the identification of another lectin (Mr = 180,000) by the above screening procedure for hepatic lectins and the results of studies in the following paper (Haltiwanger, R.S., and Hill, R. L. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 7440-7444) two lectins appear to be involved. A small amount of the hepatic mannose/N-acetylglucosamine lectin was found by the above screening procedure to have a higher affinity for L-fucosyl-bovine serum albumin-Sepharose than the majority of the lectin in hepatocytes. This lectin, called the high affinity form, was purified and its properties examined. On a weight basis the high affinity form bound 7-12 times more ligand than the normal form. Its Ka for L-fucosyl-bovine serum albumin was 2.3 X 10(9) M-1 compared to 3.5 X 10(8) M-1 for the normal form. Moreover, the concentrations of monosaccharides required to inhibit the high affinity form were about 3 times less than those required to inhibit binding of the normal form. The two forms, however, have identical molecular weights (32,000) under reducing and nonreducing conditions, bind anti-lectin antibodies in the same way, and give identical peptide maps after V-8 protease digestion. The structural basis for the different binding affinities of the two forms remains unknown.     

A new Ralstonia solanacearum high-affinity mannose-binding lectin RS-IIL structurally resembling the Pseudomonas aeruginosa fucose-specific lectin PA-IIL

The plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum produces two lectins, each with different affinity to fucose. We described previously the properties and sequence of the first lectin, RSL (subunit M(r) 9.9 kDa), which is related to fungal lectins (Sudakevitz, D., Imberty, A., and Gilboa-Garber, N., 2002, J Biochem 132: 353-358). The present communication reports the discovery of the second one, RS-IIL (subunit M(r) 11.6 kDa), a tetrameric lectin, with high sequence similarity to the fucose-binding lectin PA-IIL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. RS-IIL recognizes fucose but displays much higher affinity to mannose and fructose, which is opposite to the preference spectrum of PA-IIL. Determination of the crystal structure of RS-IIL complexed with a mannose derivative demonstrates a tetrameric structure very similar to the recently solved PA-IIL structure (Mitchell, E., et al., 2002, Nature Struct Biol 9: 918-921). Each monomer contains two close calcium cations that mediate the binding of the monosaccharide and explain the outstandingly high affinity to the monosaccharide ligand. The binding loop of the cations is fully conserved in RS-IIL and PA-IIL, whereas the preference for mannose versus fucose can be attributed to the change of a three-amino-acid sequence in the 'specificity loop'.     

New mannose-specific lectins from garlic (Allium sativum) and ramsons (Allium ursinum) bulbs.

Two new mannose-binding lectins were isolated from garlic (Allium sativum, ASA) and ramsons (Allium ursinum, AUA) bulbs, of the family Alliaceae, by affinity chromatography on immobilized mannose. The carbohydrate-binding specificity of these two lectins was studied by quantitative precipitation and hapten-inhibition assay. ASA reacted strongly with a synthetic linear (1----3)-alpha-D-mannan and S. cerevisiae mannan, weakly with a synthetic (1----6)-alpha-D-mannan, and failed to precipitate with galactomannans from T. gropengiesseri and T. lactis-condensi, a linear mannopentaose, and murine IgM. On the other hand, AUA gave a strong reaction of precipitation with murine IgM, and good reactions with S. cerevisiae mannan and both synthetic linear mannans, suggesting that the two lectins have somewhat different binding specificities for alpha-D-mannosyl units. Of the saccharides tested as inhibitors of precipitation, those with alpha-(1----3)-linked mannosyl units were the best inhibitors of ASA, the alpha-(1----2)-, alpha-(1----4)-, and alpha-(1----6)-linked mannobioses and biosides having less than one eighth the affinity of the alpha-(1----3)-linked compounds. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of ASA exhibits 79% homology with that of AUA, and moderately high homology (53%) with that of snowdrop bulb lectin, also an alpha-D-mannosyl-binding lectin.     

A lectin and a lectin-related protein are the two most prominent proteins in the bark of yellow wood (Cladrastis lutea).

Using a combination of cDNA cloning and protein purification it is demonstrated that bark of yellow wood (Cladrastis lutea) contains two mannose/glucose binding lectins and a lectin-related protein which is devoid of agglutination activity. One of the lectins (CLAI) is the most prominent bark protein. It is built up of four 32 kDa monomers which are post-translationally cleaved into a 15 kDa and a 17 kDa polypeptide. The second lectin (CLAII) is a minor protein, which strongly resembles CLAI except that its monomers are not cleaved into smaller polypeptides. Molecular cloning of the Cladrastis lectin family revealed also the occurrence of a lectin-related protein (CLLRP) which is the second most prominent bark protein. Although CLLRP shows sequence homology to the true lectins, it is devoid of carbohydrate binding activity. Molecular modelling of the three Cladrastis proteins has shown that their three-dimensional structure is strongly related to the three-dimensional models of other legume lectins and, in addition, revealed that the presumed carbohydrate binding site of CLLRP is disrupted by an insertion of three extra amino acids. Since it is demonstrated for the first time that a lectin and a noncarbohydrate binding lectin-related protein are the two most prominent proteins in the bark of a tree, the biological meaning of their simultaneous occurrence is discussed.     

Negative cooperativity associated with binding of multivalent carbohydrates to lectins. Thermodynamic analysis of the "multivalency effect".

Our previous study demonstrated that isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC) could be used to determine the thermodynamics of binding of a series of synthetic multivalent carbohydrates to the Man/Glc-specific lectins concanavalin A (ConA) and Dioclea grandiflora lectin (DGL) [Dam, T. K., Roy, R., Das, S. K., Oscarson, S. and Brewer, C. F. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 14223-14230]. The higher affinities of the multivalent carbohydrates for the two lectins were shown to be due to their greater positive entropy of binding contributions relative to monovalent analogues. In the present study, ITC data from our previous report for binding of di-, tri-, and tetravalent carbohydrate analogues possessing terminal 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside residues to ConA and DGL were subjected to Hill plot analysis. Hill plots of the binding of monovalent methyl 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside to ConA and DGL are linear with slopes near 1.0, demonstrating a lack of binding cooperativity and allosteric transitions in the proteins. However, Hill plots for the binding of the di-, tri-, and tetravalent trimannoside analogues to both lectins are curvilinear with decreasing tangent slopes below 1.0, indicating increasing negative cooperativity upon binding of the analogues to the lectins. The curvilinear Hill plots are consistent with decreasing affinity and functional valencies of the multivalent analogues upon sequential binding of lectin molecules to the carbohydrate epitopes of the analogues. The following paper [Dam, T. K., Roy, R., Pagé, D., and Brewer, C. F. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 1359-1363] provides direct evidence of the decreasing affinity constants of multivalent carbohydrates upon sequential binding of lectin molecules.     

Unusual entropy-driven affinity of Chromobacterium violaceum lectin CV-IIL toward fucose and mannose

The purple pigmented bacterium Chromobacterium violaceum is a dominant component of tropical soil microbiota that can cause rare but fatal septicaemia in humans. Its sequenced genome provides insight into the abundant potential of this organism for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications and allowed an ORF encoding a protein that is 60% identical to the fucose binding lectin (PA-IIL) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the mannose binding lectin (RS-IIL) from Ralstonia solanacearum to be identified. The lectin, CV-IIL, has recently been purified from C. violaceum [Zinger-Yosovich, K., Sudakevitz, D., Imberty, A., Garber, N. C., and Gilboa-Garber, N. (2006) Microbiology 152, 457-463] and has been confirmed to be a tetramer with subunit size of 11.86 kDa and a binding preference for fucose. We describe here the cloning of CV-IIL and its expression as a recombinant protein. A complete structure-function characterization has been made in an effort to analyze the specificity and affinity of CV-IIL for fucose and mannose. Crystal structures of CV-IIL complexes with monosaccharides have yielded the molecular basis of the specificity. Each monomer contains two close calcium cations that mediate the binding of the monosaccharides, which occurs in different orientations for fucose and mannose. The thermodynamics of binding has been analyzed by titration microcalorimetry, giving dissociation constants of 1.7 and 19 microM for alpha-methyl fucoside and alpha-methyl mannoside, respectively. Further analysis demonstrated a strongly favorable entropy term that is unusual in carbohydrate binding. A comparison with both PA-IIL and RS-IIL, which have binding preferences for fucose and mannose, respectively, yielded insights into the monosaccharide specificity of this important class of soluble bacterial lectins.     

Molecular cloning and expression of cDNA encoding a galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectin on mouse tumoricidal macrophages.

We previously reported that the mouse macrophage galacose and N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectin (MMGL) may participate in the binding of the macrophages to tumor cells [Oda, S., Sato, M., Toyoshima, S., & Osawa, T. (1989) J. Biochem. 105, 1040-1043]. We now report the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding MMGL. The MMGL gene encoded a protein consisting of 304 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 34,595. The deduced amino acid sequence indicated that MMGL had a single membrane-spanning region, three leucine zipper-like domains, and a carbohydrate recognition domain. Two N-glycosylation sites were found in the extracellular region of MMGL, corresponding to the heavy N-glycosylation in the native MMGL. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of MMGL with those of rat hepatic lectins revealed a high overall sequence homology. The sequence homology was especially high in the putative membrane-spanning region and carbohydrate recognition domain. There was, however, a region of 25 amino acids which did not exist on hepatic lectins. The MMGL cDNA without the region encoding the putative membrane-spanning region and intracellular region was expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed protein had galactose-binding activity and its sugar-binding specificity was same as that of the native lectin.     

Chemical modification studies on the glucose/mannose specific lectins from field and lablab beans.

Seeds of Dolichos lablab var. lignosus (field beans) and variety typicus (lablab beans) contain glucose/mannose specific lectins that have been affinity purified and well characterised (Siva Kumar N., and Rajagopal Rao, D., J.Biosci., 1986, 10, 95-109, (1) Rajasekhar et al., (Biochem.Archives. 1997, 13, 233-240) (2). Purified lectins are glycoproteins with a native molecular mass of 60 kDa and are made of two types of subunits (Gowda et al., 1994, J.Biol.Chem. 269, 18789-18793) (3). Chemical modifications of various groups in purified lectins (using group specific reagents) such as lysine (citraconic anhydride), carboxyl groups (water soluble carbodiimide) tyrosine (N-acetyl imidazole) and tryptophan (2-hydroxy 5-nitro benzylbromide) revealed that 14 out of 21 residues of lysines 7 out of 92 residues of carboxyl groups, 16 out of 24 tyrosine residues and 2 out of 10 tryptophan residues were modified. Lysine and carboxyl group modification led to 95% loss in haemaglutinating activity compared to control while tyrosine and tryptophan modifications led to complete loss of lectin activity. Arginine and histidine modifications led to only 50% loss in activity. The extent of modification and loss in activity was same when the lysine and carboxyl groups were modified in the presence and absence of the inhibitory sugar methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside at 0.1 M concentration. However protection of modification and lectin activity was observed when the tyrosine and tryptophan residues were modified in the presence of the inhibitory sugar. Earlier CD studies carried out (1) and extensive chemical modification studies reported here substantiate the involvement of tyrosine and tryptophan residues in the sugar binding site of these lectins.     

Localization of endogenous lectins in normal human breast, benign breast lesions and mammary carcinomas

Specific antisera against three mammalian beta-galactoside-specific lectins of apparent molecular weights 14.5 kDa, 18 kDa and 29 kDa have been used to localize these lectins in normal breast, and in benign and malignant mammary lesions. In normal breast tissue discrete localization of two lectins (Mrs 14.5 kDa and 18 kDa) was demonstrated in fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, myoepithelial cells and capillary endothelium. Extracellular localization of one lectin (Mr 14.5 kDa) in collagen was apparent. The third lectin (Mr 29 kDa) labelled preferentially luminal cells and their secretory product. Two benign tumours (an analyzed fibroadenoma and a papilloma) revealed strong staining with two lectins (Mrs 18 kDa and 29 kDa). Of the 24 mammary carcinomas examined, the lectin (Mr 14.5 kDa) was expressed by only occasional tumour cells, the lectin (Mr 18 kDa) occurred in many tumour cells and the lectin (Mr 29 kDa) labelled tumour cells in nearly all cases. The expression of these beta-galactoside-specific endogenous lectins therefore appears to be regulated differently in normal breast compared with mammary tumours.     

Substructural specificity and polyvalent carbohydrate recognition by the Entamoeba histolytica and rat hepatic N- acetylgalactosamine/galactose lectins

Both the Entamoeba histolytica lectin, a virulence factor for the causative agent of amebiasis, and the mammalian hepatic lectin bind to N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and galactose (Gal) nonreducing termini on oligosaccharides, with preference for GalNAc. Polyvalent GalNAc- derivatized neoglycoproteins have >1000-fold enhanced binding affinity for both lectins (Adler,P., Wood,S.J., Lee,Y.C., Lee,R.T., Petri,W.A.,Jr. and Schnaar,R.L.,1995, J. Biol. Chem ., 270, 5164-5171). Substructural specificity studies revealed that the 3-OH and 4-OH groups of GalNAc were required for binding to both lectins, whereas only the E.histolytica lectin required the 6-OH group. Whereas GalNAc binds with 4-fold lower affinity to the E.histolytica lectin than to the mammalian hepatic lectin, galactosamine and N-benzoyl galactosamine bind with higher affinity to the E. histolytica lectin. Therefore, a synthetic scheme for converting polyamine carriers to poly-N-acyl galactosamine derivatives (linked through the galactosamine primary amino group) was developed to test whether such ligands would bind the E.histolytica lectin with high specificity and high affinity. Contrary to expectations, polyvalent derivatives including GalN6lys5, GalN4desmosine, GalN4StarburstTMdendrimer, and GalN8StarburstTMdendrimer demonstrated highly enhanced binding to the mammalian hepatic lectin but little or no enhancement of binding to the E.histolytica lectin. We propose that the mammalian hepatic lectin binds with greatest affinity to GalNAc "miniclusters," which mimic branched termini of N-linked oligosaccharides, whereas the E.histolytica lectin binds most effectively to "maxiclusters," which may mimic more widely spaced GalNAc residues on intestinal mucins.      

Cloning and characterization of mannose binding jacalin related lectin encoding gene from Indian Cycas ( Cycas annaikalensis Singh and Radha)

Mannose specific jacalin-related lectins or agglutinins (mJRLs) constitute an important superfamily of proteins known to play vital roles in various biological processes. In the present study, a cDNA having 876 bp open reading frame (ORF) coding for mJRL of 291 amino acids residues was cloned from pinna of Cycas annaikalensis which is endemic to Western Ghats, India and designated as C. annaikalensis pinna lectin (CAPL). Expression of the coding sequence under the control of a T7 promoter in E. coli produced 31 kDa protein. The purified recombinant protein had shown agglutination with erythrocytes of rabbit blood. The deduced amino acid sequence of CAPL showed two sugar binding sites (also determined to be jacalin-like lectin domains) and 95% similarity with C. revoluta leaf lectin (CRLL) protein. Further, a monomeric protein of CAPL consisting of mannose binding residues and jacalin motifs that are having 35–90% similarities with mJRLs which have already been reported. A phylogenetic tree exhibited the grouping of CAPL into a subclade different from that of the CRLL. Also, a model of cycas leaf lectin was built by homology modeling using 1ZGRA (Parkia platycephala seed lectin) as a template for the construction of three-dimensional structures. Structural modeling and docking studies were completed using Discovery studio version 2.1. This study, first of its kind, reports mJRLs from the Indian gymnosperm.     

Vitelline coat of Unio elongatulus: III. Glycan chain analysis of the 220- and 180-kD components by means of lectins

Lectins of different binding specificity were used to analyze the oligosaccharide chains of the 220- and 180-kD proteins of the Unio elongatulus egg vitelline coat (vc). The lectins ConA and RCA₁ reacted with both glycoproteins, and four other lectins reacted with one or other vc components. The lectin from Galanthus nivalis, which recognizes terminal mannose residues of N-linked high mannose type oligosaccharide chains, bound specifically to the 180-kD protein. Binding sites for this lectin were found throughout the vc of the differentiating oocyte and the mature egg. Lectins specific for the O-linked oligosaccharide chains, such as AIA and PNA, reacted only with the 220-kD protein species. Binding sites for these lectins were found only in the crater region. The presence of fucosyl residues on the glycan chains was investigated with lectins from Lotus tetragonolobus and Aleuria aurantia. The latter was positive on both glycoproteins, whereas LTA was only positive to the 220-kD species. The binding sites of both these lectins were in the same areas as those of PNA and AIA. These results suggest that while the 180-kD protein is part of the entire vc structure, the 220-kD protein is prevalently accumulated in the crater region. Since this is where sperm recognition and interaction take place, it has been suggested the 220-kD protein acts as a ligand molecule in the sperm-egg interaction. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Production of pea lectin in Escherichia coli

In order to explore the molecular basis for the glycopeptide specificity of legume lectins, we have developed an experimental system in which specific amino acid alterations can be introduced into the carbohydrate binding site of pea lectin. This system is based on the production of pea lectin in Escherichia coli. The plasmid coding for the lectin was constructed from two lectin cDNA sequences isolated from Pisum sativum seeds (Higgins, T. J. V., Chandler, P. M., Zurawski, G., Button, S. C., and Spencer, D. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 9544-9549) and an expression vector based on the gene for the outer membrane lipoprotein of E. coli (Nakamura, K., and Inouye, M. (1982) EMBO J. 1, 771-775). The lectin is produced as a single polypeptide chain and forms insoluble aggregates in E. coli cells (2-5 mg/liter). Functional lectin is recovered by solubilization of the aggregates in guanidinium hydrochloride, renaturation in the presence of MnCl2 and CaCl2, and affinity purification on Sephadex. This procedure yields a homogeneous 28,000-dalton protein. Comparison of the recombinant lectin with natural pea lectin in an inhibition of hemagglutination assay demonstrated that there is no detectable difference in the carbohydrate binding properties of the two lectins.     

Carbohydrate binding properties of banana (Musa acuminata) lectin II. Binding of laminaribiose oligosaccharides and beta-glucans containing beta1,6-glucosyl end groups.

This paper extends our knowledge of the rather bizarre carbohydrate binding poperties of the banana lectin (Musa acuminata). Although a glucose/mannose binding protein which recognizes alpha-linked gluco-and manno-pyranosyl groups of polysaccharide chain ends, the banana lectin was shown to bind to internal 3-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl units. Now we report that this lectin also binds to the reducing glucosyl groups of beta-1,3-linked glucosyl oligosaccharides (e.g. laminaribiose oligomers). Additionally, banana lectin also recognizes beta1,6-linked glucosyl end groups (gentiobiosyl groups) as occur in many fungal beta1,3/1,6-linked polysaccharides. This behavior clearly distinguishes the banana lectin from other mannose/glucose binding lectins, such as concanavalin A and the pea, lentil and Calystegia sepium lectins.     

Purification,characterization, molecular cloning,and expression of novel members of jacalin-related lectins from rhizomes of the true fern Phlebodium aureum (L) J. Smith (Polypodiaceae)

A lectin was purified from rhizomes of the fern Phlebodium aureum by affinity chromatography on mannose-Sepharose. The lectin, designated P. aureum lectin (PAL), is composed of two identical subunits of approximately 15 kDa associated by noncovalent bonds. From a cDNA library and synthetic oligonucleotide probes based on a partial amino acid sequence, 5'- and 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends allowed the generation of two similar full-length cDNAs, termed PALa and PALb, each of which had an open reading frame of 438 bp encoding 146 amino acid residues. The two proteins share 88% sequence identity and showed structural similarity to jacalin-related lectins. PALa contained peptide sequences exactly matching those found in the isolated lectin. PALa and PALb were expressed in Escherichia coli using pET-22b(+) vector and purified by one-step affinity chromatography. Native and recombinant forms of PAL agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes and precipitated with yeast mannan, dextran, and the high mannose-containing glycoprotein invertase. The detailed carbohydrate-binding properties of the native and recombinant lectins were elucidated by agglutination inhibition assay, and native lectin was also studied by isothermal titration calorimetry. Based on the results of these assays, we conclude that this primitive vascular plant, like many higher plants, contains significant quantities of a mannose/glucose-binding protein in its storage tissue, whose binding specificity differs in detail from either legume mannose/glucose-binding lectins or monocot mannose-specific lectins. The identification of a jacalin-related lectin in a true fern reveals for the first time the widespread distribution and molecular evolution of this lectin family in the plant kingdom.     

Purification and characterization of two major lectins fromVigna mungo (blackgram)

Blackgram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper)seeds contain two galactose-specific lectins, BGL-I and BGL-II. BGL-I was partially purified into two monomeric lectins which were designated as BGL-I-1 (94 kDa) and BGL-I-2 (89 kDa). BGL-II is a monomeric lectin of 83 kDA. The purified lectins were associated with galactosidase activities. BGL-I-1 and BGL-II were copurified with α-galactosidase activity while BGL-I-2 was largely associated with β-galactosidase activity. These lectins agglutinate trypsin treated rabbit erythrocytes, but not the human erythrocytes of A, B or O groups. They were stable between pH 3·5 and 7·5 for their agglutination. The lectins did not show any metalion requirement. They were inactivated at 50°C. The lectin activity was inhibited by D-galactose (0·1 mM). The Scatchard plots of galactose binding to these lectins are nonlinear and biphasic curves indicative of multiple binding sites. The data show that the monomeric lectins have both lectin and galactosidase activities suggestive of a bifunctional protein.     

Purification of a thermostable antinociceptive lectin isolated from Andira anthelmia

Andira anthelmia (tribe Dalbergieae), a plant from Brazilian Amazon, possesses a seed lectin that was purified by affinity chromatography in sepharose–mannose. This novel Dalbergieae lectin, named AAL, agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes treated with trypsin. The hemagglutinating activity of AAL was maintained after incubation at a wide range of temperature (40 to 70 °C) and pH, was shown to be dependent on divalent cations, and was inhibited by d ‐mannose and d ‐sucrose. AAL showed an electrophoretic profile in sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis similar to other lectins of the tribe Dalbergieae, presenting a double band of molecular weight with approximately 20 kDa and other minor bands of 17, 15, and 13 kDa, being the smaller fragment glycosylated. AAL injected by intravenous route in mice showed antinociceptive activity in two behavioral tests (writhing and formalin). In the writhing test induced by acetic acid, AAL showed inhibitory effect at 0.01 mg/kg (68%), 0.1 mg/kg (46%) and 1 mg/kg (74%). In the formalin test, AAL (0.1 mg/kg) inhibited by 48% the licking time in the inflammatory phase, an effect that was recovered by the lectin association with mannose. In conclusion, AAL presents analgesic effect involving the lectin domain via peripheral mechanisms of inflammatory nociception. This activity highlights the importance of lectins as tools to be used for understanding the interaction of protein–carbohydrate in processes associated to inflammatory pain. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isolation and characterization of a jacalin-related mannose-binding lectin from salt-stressed rice (Oryza sativa) plants

A novel plant lectin was isolated from salt-stressed rice (Oryzasativa L.) plants and partially characterized. The lectin occurs as a natural mixture of two closely related isoforms consisting of two identical non-covalently linked subunits of 15 kDa. Both isoforms are best inhibited by mannose and exhibit potent mitogenic activity towards T-lymphocytes. Biochemical analyses and sequence comparisons further revealed that the rice lectins belong to the subgroup of mannose-binding jacalin-related lectins. In addition, it could be demonstrated that the lectins described here correspond to the protein products of previously described salt-stress-induced genes. Our results not only identify the rice lectin as a stress protein but also highlight the possible importance of protein-carbohydrate interactions in stress responses in plants. Received: 27 July 1999 / Accepted: 11 November 1999