An unique specificity of a sialic acid binding lectin AchatininH, from the hemolymph of Achatina fulica snail

A sialic acid-binding lectin, AchatininH, from the hemolymph of Achatina fulica snail is found to be highly specific for 9-0-acetyl sialic acid. The binding specificity of AchatininH distinguishes it from other known sialic-acid specific lectins which usually show a broader range of specificity for sialic acid. It is even better than crab lectin which shows specificity for both 4- and 9-0-acetylated derivatives of sialic acid. This limited specificity of AchatininH appear to account for the fact that it agglutinates only rabbit, rat and guinea pig erythrocytes which contain 9-0-acetylated sialic acid but not horse (mainly contain 4-0-acetylated sialic acid), human, monkey, sheep, goat and chicken erythrocytes which contain either N-acetyl or N-glycolyl neuraminic acid but no 0-acetylated derivatives. This finding was further supported by the potent inhibition of hemagglutination by free 9-0-acetylated neuraminic acid and by several glyco shingolipids of human origin having 0-acetylated sialic acid.