Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of the complex of Maclura pomifera agglutinin with the disaccharide Gal beta 1-3GalNAc.

Single crystals of Maclura pomifera agglutinin, a seed lectin from the Moraceae family, complexed with the disaccharide Gal beta 1-3GalNAc have been obtained by the method of vapor diffusion with Li2SO4 as precipitant at pH 4.5. The crystals belong to the trigonal space group P3(1)21 or P3(2)21, with a = b = 67.4 A, c = 149.3 A. They contain two subunits per asymmetric unit and diffract beyond 2.7 A. This and other evidence indicate that both this lectin and the Artocarpus integrifolia lectin, jacalin, have dimeric structures rather than the tetrameric structures previously proposed.