Quantitative studies on the interaction of concanavalin A, the carbohydrate-binding protein of the jack bean, with model carbohydrate-protein conjugates.

A ~ t T h e interaction of concanavalin A with a comprehensive series of carbohydrate-bovine serum albumin conjugates was investigated by agar gel diffusion and quantitative precipitation techniques. These studies showed that when conjugated to bovine serum albumin, those sugars which inhibited concanavalin A-polysaccharide interaction formed a precipitate with concanavalin A. The unexpected reactivity of the p-phenylazo /3-D-glucopyranoside-bovine serum albumin conjugate is rationalized on the basis of inhibition data employing several aryl and alkylglycosides.