Concanavalin A

Concanavalin A is a lectin protein originally extracted from the jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis). It binds specifically to certain structures found in various sugars, namely internal and nonreducing terminal alpha-mannosyl groups. It is used in biology and biochemistry to characterize glycoproteins and other sugar-containing entities. It is also used in lectin affinity chromatography.

Concanavalin A is also a lymphocyte mitogen.