RESUMEN
Two lectins, a tetramer designated LBL4 and an octamer LBL8 designated have been purified from the lima bean Phaseolus lunatus. The tetramer appears to be nonmitogenic for human lymphocytes and is a weak mitogen for bovine cells. The octamer and a chemically cross-linked form of the tetramer are good mitogens. The lima bean lectin binds to only certain sub-populations of human lymphocytes. The primary class which does not bind appears to be a sub-population of T-lymphocytes. Comparisons of cell binding with other lectins which bind to 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-Dgalactose have been carried out. Quantitative analysis of the binding to human erythrocytes is co-operative but binding to lymphocytes is non-co-operative. These results show that there may not be a direct correlation between mitogenic stimulation and cooperative binding to membrane receptors.