Abstract
Lectins are unique glycoproteins that react with specific sugar residues on cell surfaces resulting in agglutination. They offer enormous applications in therapeutics, diagnostics, medicine, and agriculture. Rice lectins are naturally expressed during biotic and abiotic stresses suggesting their importance in stress resistance physiology. The objective of this study was to determine the presence and relative concentration of lectins in different accessions of rice obtained from IABGR/NARC Islamabad mainly originated from Pakistan. About 210 rice accessions including 02 local varieties and 05 transgenic seeds were screened for seed lectins using a hemagglutination (HA) assay with 5% Californian bred rabbits’ erythrocytes. A protein concentration of 3–8 mg/100 mg of seed flour was measured for all the rice accessions; the highest was 8.03 mg for accession 7600, while the lowest noted was 3.05 mg for accession 7753. Out of 210 accessions, 106 showed the highest HA activity. These 106 genotypes were further screened for titer analysis and specific activity. The highest titer and specific activity were observed for accession 7271 as 1024 and 236 hemagglutination unit (HAU), respectively. The selected accessions’ relative affinity and HA capability were evaluated using blood from four different sources: human, broiler chicken, local rabbit, and Californian-breed rabbit. The highest HA activity was observed with Californian-breed rabbit RBCs. The lectin assay was stable for about 1–2 h. After the required investigations, the accessions with higher lectin concentration and HA capability could be used as a readily available source of lectins for further characterization and utilization in crop improvement programs.
Highlights
Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsLectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins present in every form of life
This study aimed to assess the presence of seed storage lectins in various rice accessions mainly originated from Pakistan without stress to know the inherent capability of rice genotypes expressing phyto-agglutinin
We have found a considerable higher protein concentration, titer values and specific activity in wild accessions of rice as compared to the cultivated and transgenic ones, depicting greater genetic diversity of seed storage lectins [Tables 3 and 4]
Summary
Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins present in every form of life. These are non-immune in origin and can recognize and bind unique sugars present on cell surfaces, resulting in cell agglutination. These are major glycoproteins that react with specific. Saccharide residues in the cell membranes offering various applications in therapeutics, diagnostics, the food industry, plant breeding, agriculture, and biotechnology. The potential applications of plant lectins in glycobiology, medicines, and agriculture have been studied and reported. Oryza sativa L. is a salt-sensitive plant species with significant genetic variability within the cultivated gene pool that can be exploited to develop salt-resistant varieties. The effectiveness of plant lectins on pathogenic fungi, insects, HIV, and cancer, as observed for numerous legume lectins, needs to be explored for other plant species [8,9,10,11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
