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Glite Dictionary
concanavalin

concanavalin

1 9.9
A plant protein used in labs to stick to sugar parts of proteins and cell surfaces
  • noun
  • /kɒŋˈkænəvəlɪn/
  • Specialized
: concanavalina
  • Morphine and concanavalin A had only a small effect on basophil histamine release.

Examples

  • Researchers used concanavalin in their study to analyze the binding properties of various sugars.

  • In their experiments, scientists employed concanavalin to better understand glycoprotein interactions.

  • This laboratory routinely incorporates concanavalin to examine the behavior of cell membranes in their assays.

Surface Forms

concanavalin singular
concanavalins plural

Etymology

Concanavalin comes from the bean plant name Canavalia plus the protein ending -in, so it means 'a protein from the Canavalia bean'. That's why concanavalin is a plant protein used in labs to bind sugars and study glycoproteins.