Radiation-induced alterations in binding of concanavalin A to cells and in their susceptibility to agglutination.

Cell susceptibility to agglutination mediated by a plant lectin, concanavalin A (Con A), and the binding capacity of Con A to cells following gamma-irradiation have been examined in mouse myeloid leukaemia cells cultured in suspension. Irradiation caused an immediate decrease in the amount of Con A bound to the cell surface, whereas susceptibility of irradiated cells to agglutination by Con A was unchanged when compared to that of the unirradiated cells. Post-irradiation incubation of cells at 37 degrees C resulted in a temporary, more than 1.3-fold increase in cell susceptibility to agglutination 60 min after irradiation, whereas binding capacity of cells for Con A gradually recovered following irradiation, reaching a comparable level to that of unirradiated cells 3 h after irradiation. Cell susceptibility to agglutination by Con A does not depend strongly on its binding capacity.