Concanavalin A agglutinability of dextran gel spheres. A physical model for cells agglutination

Dextran is a polysaccharide which can interact with concanavalin A, and insolubilized dextran spheres are available with different degrees of swelling in water. One grade of these dextran gel spheres can be agglutinated extensively by concanavalin A, while another grade with the same binding constant is not affected. Photomicrographs and measurement by capillary suction show that deformability and good contact between these gel spheres can be correlated with their agglutinability.