A LECTIN FROM THE LIVERWORT MARCHANTIA-POLYMORPHA L

Bryophytes have been screened for lectins. From the liverwort Marchant ia polymorpha (Marchiantiales) a lectin could be purified to homogenei ty using a combination of ultrafiltration, size exclusion chromatograp hy and ion exchange chromatography. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophor esis, size exclusion chromatography and electrospray mass spectroscopy showed that the lectin is a monomeric protein with a M(r) of 16,134.6 4 +/- 2.93. Marchantia polymorpha lectin agglutinates erythrocytes of different mammalia and exhibits carbohydrate specifity against complex carbohydrate structures. This is the first report of a lectin isolate d from liverworts.