Galactose-binding lectin from champedak (Artocarpus integer) consists of two chains: alpha and beta (133 and 21 amino acids, respectively). It has been shown to recognize and bind to carbohydrates involved in IgA and C1 inhibitor molecules. The protein was purified and crystallized at 293 K. Crystals were observed in two space groups, P2(1) and P2(1)2(1)2, and diffracted to 1.65 and 2.6 A, resp...

A novel lectin was isolated from leaves of the Japanese cycad, Cycas revoluta Thunb. (gymnosperm), and its characteristics including amino acid composition, molecular mass, carbohydrate binding specificity and partial amino acid sequences were examined. The inhibition analysis of hemagglutinating activity with various sugars showed that the lectin has a carbohydrate-binding specificity similar ...

A cDNA encoding a putative lectin expressed in tomato leaves was identified and analysed. The lectin consists of two homologous chitin-binding modules interconnected by a short proline-rich domain containing a single Ser[Pro]( n ) repetitive motif. Each module comprises two in-tandem-arrayed hevein domains separated by a tetrapeptide linker. Besides the chitin-binding modules and proline-rich d...

Increasing insights into the involvement of endogenous lectins in disease processes fuel the interest to develop potent inhibitors. As a consequence, robust assay procedures are required. Due to their activity as adhesion/growth-regulatory effectors this study focussed on galectins. The human proto-type galectin-1 was selected as representative of this family with conserved presence of a trypto...

Saposin B (SapB) is a human lysosomal protein, critical for the degradation of O-sulfogalactosylceramide (sulfatide). SapB binds sulfatide and presents it to the active site of the enzyme arylsulfatase A. Deficiency of SapB leads to fatal activator-deficient metachromatic leukodystrophy. Given the conformational flexibility and the large hydrophobic "pocket" produced upon (physiologically relev...

PURPOSE To understand the expression of genes involved in different complement pathways in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid under physiologic conditions and how their expression is regulated by inflammatory cytokines. METHODS The expression of complement components of the classical pathway (CP), mannose-binding lectin (MBL) pathway, alternative pathway (AP), and termina...

The quantity and localization of two lactose-binding lectins with molecular weights of 31,000 and 14,500 in human colorectal carcinoma tissue specimens obtained by surgical resection have been studied using specific polyclonal antibodies. Electrophoretic separation and blotting of detergent extracts of tumor tissues (48 specimens), followed by the binding of an antibody that recognizes both of ...

A cDNA encoding L14, the lactose-binding, soluble lectin of relative molecular mass 14 x 10(3), has been isolated in a differential screen designed to identify genes that are regulated during the differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells in vitro. The expression patterns of the gene and of the encoded protein during mouse embryogenesis are consistent with the lectin playing a role at sever...

Titration calorimetry measurements of the binding of methyl alpha-D-mannopyranoside (Me alpha Man), D-mannopyranoside (Man), methyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside (Me alpha Glu), and D-glucopyranoside (Glu) to concanavalin A (Con A), pea lectin, and lentil lectin were performed at 281 and 292 K in 0.01 M dimethylglutaric acid-NaOH buffer (pH 6.9) containing 0.15 M NaCl and Mn+2 and Ca+2 ions. The site...