A lectin was purified from rhizomes of the fern Phlebodium aureum by affinity chromatography on mannose-Sepharose. The lectin, designated P. aureum lectin (PAL), is composed of two identical subunits of ϳ15 kDa associated by noncovalent bonds. From a cDNA library and synthetic oligonucleotide probes based on a partial amino acid sequence, 5-and 3-rapid amplification of cDNA ends allowed the generation of two similar fulllength cDNAs, termed PALa and PALb, each of which had an open reading frame of 438 bp encoding 146 amino acid residues. The two proteins share 88% sequence identity and showed structural similarity to jacalin-related lectins. PALa contained peptide sequences exactly matching those found in the isolated lectin. PALa and PALb were expressed in Escherichia coli using pET22b(؉) vector and purified by one-step affinity chromatography. Native and recombinant forms of PAL agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes and precipitated with yeast mannan, dextran, and the high mannose-containing glycoprotein invertase. The detailed carbohydrate-binding properties of the native and recombinant lectins were elucidated by agglutination inhibition assay, and native lectin was also studied by isothermal titration calorimetry. Based on the results of these assays, we conclude that this primitive vascular plant, like many higher plants, contains significant quantities of a mannose/glucose-binding protein in its storage tissue, whose binding specificity differs in detail from either legume mannose/ glucose-binding lectins or monocot mannose-specific lectins. The identification of a jacalin-related lectin in a true fern reveals for the first time the widespread distribution and molecular evolution of this lectin family in the plant kingdom.Lectins are proteins (or glycoproteins), other than antibodies and enzymes, that bind specifically and reversibly to carbohydrates, resulting in cell agglutination or precipitation of polysaccharides and glycoconjugates (1). They are ubiquitous in the biosphere, having been found in viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals (2). Among the divisions of the plant kingdom, the Pteridophyta, which includes the class Filicinae, or true ferns, have been largely overlooked in the study of lectins.Lectins of known specificity serve as valuable reagents in glycobiological research. They can be employed for the detection and preliminary characterization of glycoconjugates on the surface of cells. Although many lectins belong to the same major specificity group of mannose-or mannose/glucose-binding lectins, their different reactivities toward more complex oligo-and polysaccharides render many of them specifically valuable for recognizing a particular type of saccharide structure and fuel the search for yet more novel lectins (3). Lectins are found in greatest quantity and are most readily purified from plant sources, especially storage tissues such as seeds, bark, bulbs, rhizomes, etc. Many lectins have been isolated and characterized from angiosperm subdivision of seed plants. On the basis of struc...