Five N-acetyl-galactosamine-specific lectins were isolated from the bark of the legume tree Sophora japonica. These lectins are immunologically and structurally very similar, but not identical, to the Sophora seed and leaf lectins. The carbohydrate specificities and hemagglutinin activities of these lectins are indistinguishable at pH 8.5 but their activities differ markedly at pH values below ...

-The biology and ecological importance of Hawaiian endemic Cydia spp. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) are poorly known. Cydia larvae arc an important food to palila, an endangered Hawaiian bird that inhabits Sophora woodlands on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. We quantified Cydia larval abundance in seeds of Sophora chrY~'ophylla Salisbury (Fabaceae) and larval mortality caused by parasitism. Four new host plant...

The Japanese Pogada Tree (Sophora japonica) contains at least four distinct lectins distributed among seeds, bark, and leaf tissues of the plant. All of these lectins are N-acetylgalactosamine-specific, have molecular weights of about 130,000, are glycoproteins and possess substantial sequence homology. However, they are products of distinct genes. We have crystallized Sophora lectins from bark...

In this paper, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens were studied by HPLC-photodiode array detection. Effects of several experimental parameters, such as concentration of extraction solvent, ratio of liquid to material, microwave power, extraction temperature, and extraction time on the extraction efficiencies of oxymatrine were evaluated. The optimal extract...

Yeast functional screening with a Sophora flavescens cDNA library was performed to identify the genes involved in the tolerant mechanism to the self-producing prenylated flavonoid sophoraflavanone G (SFG). One cDNA, which conferred SFG tolerance, encoded a regulatory particle triple-A ATPase 2 (SfRPT2), a member of the 26S proteasome subunit. The yeast transformant of SfRPT2 showed reduced SFG ...

In this study the enhancement effect of Sophora pachycarpa roots' acetone extract on the antibacterial activity of gentamycin was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus. Disc diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activity of gentamycin in the absence and presence of plant extract and its various fractions separated by TLC. A clinical isolate of S. aureus...