Open AccessCharacterization and molecular cloning of the lectin from
Helianthus tuberosus
Author(s) -
Van Damme Els J. M.,
Barre Annick,
Mazard AnneMarie,
Verhaert Peter,
Horman Alistair,
Debray Henri,
Rouge Pierre,
Peumans Willy J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
european journal of biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1432-1033
pISSN - 0014-2956
DOI - 10.1046/j.1432-1327.1999.00013.x
Subject(s) - lectin , biology , open reading frame , complementary dna , helianthus , cd69 , molecular cloning , jacalin , cloning (programming) , agglutinin , biochemistry , botany , genetics , peptide sequence , gene , sunflower , programming language , cytotoxic t cell , il 2 receptor , computer science , agronomy , in vitro
A lectin called Helianthus tuberosus agglutinin or Heltuba has been isolated from tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke, a typical representative of the Asteraceae family. Heltuba is a tetrameric protein composed of four identical subunits of 15.5 kDa and exhibits a preferential specificity towards oligomannosides. Cloning of the corresponding cDNAs revealed that the mature lectin polypeptide comprises the entire open reading frame of the cDNA suggesting that the primary translation product is not processed and that the lectin is a cytosolic protein. Searches in the databases revealed sequence similarity with lectins from the taxonomically unrelated Convolvulaceae and Moraceae species. Therefore, the discovery of Heltuba is of great importance in view of the occurrence and molecular evolution of the jacalin‐related lectins.