Carbohydrate-binding site recognition (beta-1,4) -linked N-acetylglucosamine oligomers, preferring chitosaccharides or chitosaccharides, rather than individual n-acetylglucosamine residues. This lectin binds well in the acidic pH range, but its affinity decreases above pH 8.0. DSL also binds well to n-acetyllactosamine and oligomers containing repeated n-acetyllactosamine sequences. A branched-chain pentasaccharide consisting of two n-acetyllactosaminobioses linked to mannose (beta-1,6) and (beta-1,2) is reported to be the most potent agglutination inhibitor. The biotinylated mandatura lectin has the right amount of biotin to provide the best staining properties for this lectin. The conjugated compound contains essentially no unconjugated biotin and is preserved with sodium azide