This lectin is useful for the purification of insulin receptors, serum proteins and neuronal tracing. The carbohydrate-binding specificity of WGA has been studied by variety of techniques, such as hapten inhibition of hemagglutination and specific precipitation of glycoconjugate, changes in fluorescence of the lectin (intrinsic) or of chromatogenic ligands (extrinsic), equilibrium dialysis, NMR and x-ray diffraction.