Intracellular Lectins of Lentinus edodes at Various Developmental Stages of the Fungus

A number of lectins varying in polypeptide composition and carbohydrate specificity were isolated from Lentinus edodes at different stages of its morphogenesis: nonpigmented mycelium, brown mycelium film, and fruiting body. Three lectins were identified at the nonpigmented mycelium stage, two of them being dimers consisting of 16 and 45 kDa and 16 and 42 kDa subunits; the third is a tetramer of 16, 39, 42, and 45 kDa subunits. The fractions with lectin activity obtained at the brown mycelium film stage contained polypeptides of 24, 30, and 38 kDa, characteristic of this morphological structure. The fruiting body was shown to contain two lectins of 43 and 55 kDa. All of the isolated lectins expressed the highest affinity towards L,D-melibiose, D-lactose, and D-galactose.