A lectin with hemagglutinating activity has been isolated from an aqueous extract of the symbiotic phenotype of
Dictyonema glabratum and its cyanobacterial photobiont Scytonema sp. The purified lectin had a pI of 6.8 and its
molecular mass was investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, gel filtration and SDS-PAGE,
which indicated its native conformation as a dimer formed by two identical subunits of 16540 Da. The lectin is
a glycoprotein with a low degree of glycosylation, containing galactose, xylose, glucose and mannose as neutral
monosaccharides, in addition to glucosamine, which could indicate both N- and O-linkages. Amino acid analysis
showed the predominance of nonpolar residues such as phenylalanine. Agglutination of human erythrocytes
required divalent cations, which is affected by addition of EDTA. The lectin was more stable at 30 °C or less for
at least 1 h and between pH 5.0 and 7.0. Among the various compounds tested for hemagglutination inhibition,
N-acetylgalactosamine was the most active. The potential role of this lectin in recognition of the compatible
cyanobacterial photobiont is discussed.