Ah. Sampaio et al., A new isolation procedure and further characterisation of the lectin from the red marine alga Ptilota serrata, J APPL PHYC, 10(6), 1998, pp. 539-546
Ptilota serrata has been shown previously to contain a lectin (PSL) which i
s non-specific for human blood groups. We report here a new isolation proce
dure for PSL using a single step affinity chromatography technique on cross
-linked guar gum and further characterisation studies. PSL was inhibited by
galactose and its derivatives. The carbohydrates o-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-al
pha-D-galactoside, p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-B-D-galactoside and lactose were
strong inhibitors. The glycoproteins porcine stomach mucin, asialo bovine m
ucin and asialofetuin were also inhibitory. The Mr of PSL, determined by ge
l filtration, was 55,470. SDS-PAGE revealed one single protein band with Mr
of 18,390, indicating the native protein to be a trimer of apparently iden
tical subunits. PSL was shown to contain large amounts of acidic and hydrox
yl amino acids but low in basic amino acids.