Concanavalin A Lectin (Con A) - Alexa Fluor 488

Concanavalin A Lectin (Con A) is isolated from jack beans (Canavalia ensiformis) and purified by affinity chromatography. Con A is composed of identical subunits of 237 amino acid residues (MW: 26,000 without any cystine residues) and while above pH 7 it is predominantly tetrameric, at pH 4.5 - 5.6, Con A exists as a single dimer MW: 53,000. Con A binds with non-reducing α-D-glucose, α-D-mannose and α-methyl-D-glucopyranoside acts as a competitive inhibitor. It has a carbohydrate specificity towards α-mannose and α-glucose and elutes with MeαMan + MeαGlc. Con A does not have a blood group specificity. It exhibits mitogenic activity with lymphocytes and cancer cells which aggregate by Con A (normal white cells do not). Normal cells react to Con A after proteolytic treatment which suggests that trypsinization causes clustering of the reactive glycan residues on the membrane.

Concanavalin A Lectin (Con A) conjugated with Alexa Fluor™ 488 is a bright, green, fluorescent dye that provides stable signal generation for imaging and flow cytometry. This conjugate is water soluble and pH-insensitive from pH 4 to pH 10, ensuring optimal performance across a range of experimental conditions. Alexa Fluor™ 488 enhances cellular labeling and detection capabilities, making it an ideal choice for sensitive applications in research.

Recommended Usage: Recommended dilutions of 0.5 – 10 µg / ml in 1XPBS. More than 10 µg/mL may be required to give visible agglutination of neuraminidase treated human erythrocytes.

Application

Immunofluorescence, Immunohistochemistry, Immunocytochemistry, Elispot, Dot blot, flowcytometry, Cytotoxicity, Glycan Array, Glycobiology.

References

1.Darmani H, Coakley WT. Contact patterns in concanavalin A agglutinated erythrocytes. Cell Biophys. 1991 Feb;18(1):1-13.
2.Olson MO, Liener IE. Some physical and chemical properties of concanavalin A, the phytohemagglutinin of the jack bean. Biochemistry. 1967 Jan;6(1):105-11.
3.McCubbin WD, Kay CM. Molecular weight studies on concanavalin A. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1971 Jul 2;44(1):101-9.