Determination of mannose-containing polysaccharides in the fruiting bodies of Cantharellus cibarius and Craterellus cornucopioides using lectins

Lectins can bind selectively to carbohydrates in polysaccharide structures without causing any chemical transformation. Studying polysaccharides using lectins can provide valuable structural information and is useful for preliminary research. The present study aimed to analyse the water-soluble, mannose-containing polysaccharides of Cantharellus cibarius Fr. and Craterellus cornucopioides (Fr.) Pers. using lectins in a haemagglutination inhibition reaction. Similar interaction profiles were observed between the lectins and the polysaccharides of Cantharellus cibarius, and the mannan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meyen ex E.C. Hansen was found to be similar, indicating structural similarities between the two. Similar interaction profiles were also observed for the mannose-containing polysaccharides of Craterellus cornucopioides and Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer. The structures of the polysaccharides from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Flammulina velutipes have previously been determined using modern instrumental methods. Studies of these polysaccharides using lectins confirm these structures and enable conclusions to be drawn about the Craterellus cornucopioides polysaccharide structure. The results of this study suggest that lectins could be used more widely to analyse the structure of water-soluble polysaccharides containing mannose. Keywords: agglutination, fungi, glycan structure, lectin agglutination, mannofucogalactan, mushrooms