Sialic acid binding lectins in the serum of american spiders of the genus Aphonopelma

Abstract Multiple lectins were detected in the serum of three American species of the genus Aphonopelma ( A. chalcodes , A. cochise and A. chiricawa ) through tests of agglutination and crossed absorption with a panel of untreated and enzyme treated of vertebrate erythrocytes. Hemagglutination-inhibition experiments showed that a fraction of A. chalcodes serum lectins bind sialic acids and sialoconjugates although other related carbohydrates as N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate also are recognized. Results of these studies extend our observations about the presence of sialoconjugate binding lectins in members of the Chelicerata to species from the Order Araneae. At the present time the Chelicerata (horseshoe crabs, scorpions, whip scorpions and spiders), would constitute the only group of high taxonomic rank which includes species that exhibit certain common patterns in the specificity of their humoral lectins.