From fresh fruiting bodies of the wild ascomycete mushroom (Xylaria hypoxylon) a lectin with N-terminal sequence resemblance to a part of Aspergillus oryzae genome and only slight similarity to fungal immunomodulatory protein from the mushroom Flammulina velutipes was isolated. The protocol comprised extraction with water, precipitation from the aqueous extract using 80% saturated (NH(4))(2)SO(4), ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and CM-cellulose, and then gel filtration by fast protein liquid chromatography on Superdex 75. Lectin activity was adsorbed on DEAE-cellulose and unadsorbed on CM-cellulose. The lectin appeared as a single band with a molecular mass of 14.4 kDa in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a single 28.8-kDa peak in gel filtration on Superdex 75. The lectin exhibited highly potent antiproliferative activity toward tumor cell lines, and exerted a potent anti-mitogenic action on mouse splenocytes. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was inhibited by inulin and xylose. It was stable up to 35 degrees C. At 40 degrees C its hemagglutinating activity was reduced by 50%, and it dwindled to 12.5% of the original activity at 50 degrees C. The hemagglutinating activity was also sensitive to NaOH and HCl solutions. The hemagglutinating activity was unaffected by CaCl(2) and ZnCl(2), and was potentiated substantially in the presence of AlCl(3) and FeCl(3). The distinctive features of this lectin comprise a unique sugar specificity, and highly potent hemagglutinating, antiproliferative and anti-mitogenic activities. X. hypoxylon lectin differs in molecular mass, N-terminal sequence and sugar specificity from previously reported ascomycete mushroom lectins.