Skip to main content
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1982 Nov;70(5):1425–1428. doi: 10.1104/pp.70.5.1425

Characteristics of Membrane-Bound Lectin in Developing Phaseolus vulgaris Cotyledons 1

Maarten J Chrispeels 1,2, Roberto Bollini 1,2
PMCID: PMC1065900  PMID: 16662692

Abstract

Cotyledons of developing Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Greensleeves seeds were labeled for 2 to 3 hours with 3H-amino acids, and newly synthesized phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was isolated by affinity chromatography with thyroglobulin-Sepharose. The presence of 1% Tween in the homogenate increased the yield of radioactive PHA by 50 to 100%. Isopycnic sucrose gradients were used to show that this detergent-released PHA was associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and pulse-chase experiments showed that the half-life of the PHA in the ER was 90 to 120 minutes. Since PHA is transiently associated with the ER and accumulates in protein bodies, we postulate that this rapidly turning over pool of PHA in the ER represents protein en route to the protein bodies. The PHA in the ER has the same sedimentation constant as mature PHA and is capable of agglutinating red blood cells. The observations substantiate earlier claims that plant cells contain membrane-bound lectins. However, they also indicate that these lectins are not necessarily functional components of the membranes with which they are associated, but may represent transport pools of lectin normally localized in other cellular compartments.

Full text

PDF
1425

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chrispeels M. J., Higgins T. J., Craig S., Spencer D. Role of the endoplasmic reticulum in the synthesis of reserve proteins and the kinetics of their transport to protein bodies in developing pea cotyledons. J Cell Biol. 1982 Apr;93(1):5–14. doi: 10.1083/jcb.93.1.5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chrispeels M. J., Higgins T. J., Spencer D. Assembly of storage protein oligomers in the endoplasmic reticulum and processing of the polypeptides in the protein bodies of developing pea cotyledons. J Cell Biol. 1982 May;93(2):306–313. doi: 10.1083/jcb.93.2.306. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Felsted R. L., Leavitt R. D., Bachur N. R. Purification of the phytohemagglutinin family of proteins from red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) by affinity chromatography. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 Sep 9;405(1):72–81. doi: 10.1016/0005-2795(75)90316-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Horisberger M., Vonlanthen M. Ultrastructural localization of soybean agglutinin on thin sections of Glycine max (soybean) var. Altona by the gold method. Histochemistry. 1980 Feb;65(2):181–186. doi: 10.1007/BF00493167. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Larkins B. A., Hurkman W. J. Synthesis and deposition of zein in protein bodies of maize endosperm. Plant Physiol. 1978 Aug;62(2):256–263. doi: 10.1104/pp.62.2.256. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Pueppke S. G. Examination of Le and lele Genotypes of Glycine max (L.) Merr. for Membrane-Bound and Buffer-Soluble Soybean Lectin. Plant Physiol. 1981 Oct;68(4):905–909. doi: 10.1104/pp.68.4.905. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Roberts L. M., Lord J. M. The synthesis of Ricinus communis agglutinin, cotranslational and posttranslational modification of agglutinin polypeptides. Eur J Biochem. 1981 Sep;119(1):31–41. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1981.tb05573.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Spencer D., Higgins T. J., Button S. C., Davey R. A. Pulse-labeling Studies on Protein Synthesis in Developing Pea Seeds and Evidence of a Precursor Form of Legumin Small Subunit. Plant Physiol. 1980 Sep;66(3):510–515. doi: 10.1104/pp.66.3.510. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sun S. M., Mutschler M. A., Bliss F. A., Hall T. C. Protein Synthesis and Accumulation in Bean Cotyledons during Growth. Plant Physiol. 1978 Jun;61(6):918–923. doi: 10.1104/pp.61.6.918. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Van der Wilden W., Gilkes N. R., Chrispeels M. J. The Endoplasmic Reticulum of Mung Bean Cotyledons: ROLE IN THE ACCUMULATION OF HYDROLASES IN PROTEIN BODIES DURING SEEDLING GROWTH. Plant Physiol. 1980 Sep;66(3):390–394. doi: 10.1104/pp.66.3.390. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Youle R. J., Huang A. H. Protein Bodies from the Endosperm of Castor Bean: Subfractionation, Protein Components, Lectins, and Changes during Germination. Plant Physiol. 1976 Dec;58(6):703–709. doi: 10.1104/pp.58.6.703. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Plant Physiology are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES