Evidence that the 14 kDa soluble beta-galactoside-binding lectin in man is encoded by a single gene.

A full-length cDNA clone for the 14 kDa soluble beta-galactoside-binding lectin of man has been isolated from a cDNA library from HepG2 hepatoma cells. The derived amino acid sequence is identical with that of the 14 kDa lectin from human placenta. The results of Northern and Southern blotting of several different human cell lines using a cDNA probe for the 14 kDa lectin suggest the presence of a single gene for this protein. Thus, although there are multiple proteins in the range 14-200 kDa which are antigenically related to this lectin, we would conclude from the present study that there is only one gene for the 14 kDa lectin.