Isolation of lectin and albumin from Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon ser. cv. sugar snap

A mannose- and glucose-binding lectin bearing considerable sequence similar ity to other legume lectins was isolated using a simple procedure, from leg umes of the sugar snap Pisum sativum var, macrocarpon. The lectin was unads orbed on Affi-gel blue gel and Q-Sepharose in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.2 ) and adsorbed on SP-Toyopearl in 50 mM NaOAc buffer (pH 5). An albumin cou ld also be purified at the same time. It was unadsorbed on Affi-gel Blue ge l, adsorbed on Q-Sepharose and unadsorbed on SP-Toyopearl under the aforeme ntioned chromatographic conditions. The lectin was almost identical in N-te rminal sequences of its alpha- and beta -subunit to lectin from P. sativum L. var. Feltham First except for the 19th N-terminal residue of the beta -s ubunit. The lectin was devoid of antifungal activity. Out of the 15 N-termi nal amino acids examined in pea albumin, three were different between the t wo varieties of P. sativum. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.