Peumans Willy J., De Ley Marc, Broekaert Willem F.
FEBS letters, 1984
Abstract
An unusual lectin has been isolated from stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) rhizomes. It is a small (8.5 kDa) monomeric protein with high contents of glycine, cysteine and tryptophan. The U. dioica agglutinin (UDA) is not blood group-specific and is specifically inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine oligomers. As compared to other plant lectins, UDA has a very low specific agglutination activity. Nevertheless, it induces HulFN-γ in human lymphocytes at concentrations comparable to those of other inducers.
Keywords
Urtica dioica, Lectin, Interferon, Lymphocyte
Abbreviations
UDA, Urtica dioica agglutinin, SDS-PAGE, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Con A, concanavalin A, SEA, staphylococcal enterotoxin A
| DOI: | 10.1016/0014-5793(84)80989-8 |
|---|---|
| Category: | General properties of Urtica Dioica |
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