ABSTRACT
The mannose sensitive (MS) lectins of E. coli may occur on the surface of the bacteria in different forms, most commonly as pili. The participation of pili in the MS adherence of E. coli to cell surfaces was first pointed out by Duguid and Gillies who found a striking correlation between the occurrence of pili and the MS hemagglutination exhibited by the bacteria. The flagellar lectin of E. coli 7343 consists of protein subunits with a molecular weight of 36,500 dalton, which is considerably different from that of the type 1 pili. The flagellar lectin of S. marcescens 8347 was found to consist of subunits with a molecular weight of 38,500 dalton; the peptides obtained upon cleavage of this lectin with cyanogen bromide were different from those obtained from the E. coli flagellar lectin.
