自刀豆和豌豆等籽粒中提取而得的一种植物凝集素(1ectin)。为四聚体球蛋白，分子量102000。每个亚基含237个氨基酸残基，分子量25500，结合一个Ca2+和一个Mn2+，含一个糖结合部位。能与α-甘露糖、α-葡萄糖(细胞膜糖蛋白上)专一地结合，结合位点要求是α-D-吡喃甘露糖或α-D吡喃葡萄糖六元环中的C-3/C-4和C-6未被取代羟基。能与以α-1，2糖苷键连接的甘露二糖和甘露三糖有最大的亲和力。 Concanavalin A is a plant lectin that is a T cell mitogen. It induces apoptosis in human fibroblasts. Concanavalin A (Con A) lectin is isolated from Jack beans (Canavalia ensiformis) and purified by affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of the lectin is 104 kDa. It has broad applicability and is the most widely used lectin within molecular biology research. Con A binds specifically to α-Mannose, α-Galactose structures found in sugars, glycoproteins and glycolipids (2). The lectin has been utilized in hormone receptor studies, mitogenic assays and for characterizing normal and malignant cells (cancer cells are readily aggregated by Con A while normal cells are not). Con A can also initiate cell division (mitogenesis) principally acting on T-lymphocytes (3). Immobilized Con A has been used in affinity chromatography purifications of a wide variety of glycoproteins and cellular structures. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in SDS of Con A from Jack beans yields three major bands corresponding to molecular weights 27, 13 and 10 kDa. One minor band is visible at 18 kDa. (4). Con A is supplied as a white lyophilized powder from a buffer containing 0.5 mM MnCl2, 0.5 mM CaCl2, no preservatives are added. The identity is determined by SDS-PAGE (Figure 1) and the protein content by spectrophotometry (Figure 2). The lectin is available in vials containing 250 mg or 100 mg lyophilized powder and the product is to be used for laboratory work only.