A lectin from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha L.

Bryophytes have been screened for lectins. From the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha (Marchiantiales) a lectin could be purified to homogeneity using a combination of ultrafiltration, size exclusion chromatography and ion exchange chromatography. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, size exclusion chromatography and electrospray mass spectroscopy showed that the lectin is a monomeric protein with a M(r) of 16,134.64 +/- 2.93. Marchantia polymorpha lectin agglutinates erythrocytes of different mammalia and exhibits carbohydrate specificity against complex carbohydrate structures. This is the first report of a lectin isolated from liverworts.