A protein found in the jack beans plant Canavalin ensiformis which sticks various cell types and glycoproteins (proteins with sugars attached) to one another by crosslinking them. It can also function in the plant much like platelets in blood do for animals.

Also, it encourages mitosis and cell division in dormant lymphocytes. It is used in the technique of affinity chromatography to purify glycoproteins.

This chemical is abbreviated as "con A".

From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.