植物凝集素（lectin or agglutinins）在生物中有很多不同的作用，例如在植物運輸醣分子及儲藏醣類的過程中扮演了重要角色，由於它對醣具有很強的親和性，可當作儲存蛋白。另外，凝集素也與植物抗病性有關，並具有保護植物免受病原菌感染。我們的研究顯示稻米（Oryza Sativa）的凝集素在低氧的環境下，其RNA的量與在高氧（自然環境下）時比較顯著增加。這些因生物或非生物性的壓力而誘發產生的凝集素，通常會產生在細胞質中，它們可能的功能為和核膜上的醣蛋白結合，使核孔變小，這可能和信號傳遞或基因調控有關。我們已經知道稻米凝集素的晶體模型，本篇論文的研究目的為探討稻米凝集素與其專一性結合之甘露糖晶體結構，並找出其結合區域。
研究結果顯示稻米凝集素的結構主要由十二個β摺板構成，為一錐形結構。在不同條件下長出的晶體，其在空間中的堆積方式也有單體、二聚體及四聚體的不同。分析表面電荷，發現在活性區域有一陰離子口袋區，共由六個胺基酸形成：Gly14，Leu88，Gly133，Thr134，Leu135，Asp137；而在三維空間結構中，甘露糖與胺基酸交互作用的區域就在此口袋區，其中Gly14、Gly133、Thr134、Leu135、Asp137這五個胺基酸會與甘露糖中的O3、O4、O5 和 O6形成氫鍵。這些氫鍵穩定了複合物的結構。

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