Interaction of a Hydroxyproline-Rich Glycoprotein from Tobacco Callus with Potential Pathogens

A hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein was isolated from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) callus tissue cultures by an acidic-ethanol extraction procedure and purified to about 95% homogeneity by ion exchange chromatography on carboxymethyl cellulose. This glycoprotein agglutinated cells of an avirulent strain (B-1) of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas solanacearum but not its parental, virulent isolate (K-60). Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (from K-60 strain) inhibited this agglutination. The tobacco glycoprotein also agglutinated zoospores of both compatible and incompatible races of Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae. Although 34 potential haptens were tested, no low-molecular-weight carbohydrate that inhibited bacterial or fungal agglutination was found. The agglutination activity of the tobacco glycoprotein was sensitive to pronase and sodium periodate. The apparent molecular weight of the glycoprotein was 120,000. The protein moiety was basic (12% lysine and 5% histidine) and contained 38% hydroxyproline. The carbohydrate moiety comprised 26% (by weight) of the glycoprotein, and contained 87% arabinose, 8% galactose, and 5% glucose. The glycoprotein labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate bound significantly better to the avirulent isolate (B-1) of P. solanacearum than to the virulent strain (K-60). Binding to the avirulent cells was inhibited by incubation in a higher ionic strength medium (e.g. 0.2 m NaCl). The labeled glycoprotein also bound to cystospores and mycelia of both races of P. parasitica var. nicotianae. This fungal-glycoprotein interaction was inhibited by the lipopolysaccharide from strain K-60 and by higher ionic strength conditions.