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A phytohaemagglutinin from the Azolla-anabaena symbiosis

1981; Elsevier BV; Volume: 99; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0006-291x(81)90767-1

1090-2104

Robert B. Mellor, Geoffrey Michael Gadd, P. Rowell, W. D. P. Stewart,

Cassava research and cyanide

Proteins recovered from cell-free extracts of the Azolla-Anabaena azollae symbiosis exhibited haemagglutination activity; galactose was the most effective carbohydrate tested in preventing haemagglutination. Extracts of cyanobacteria-free Azolla also caused haemagglutination but extracts of free-living or symbiotic Anabaena azollae did not. Symbiotic Azolla plants grown on NO3− showed lower haemagglutination activity than did those grown on N2; activity increased on removal of NO3−. The lower activity of the NO3−-grown material may be due to NO3su− exerting a direct effect on lectin activity/synthesis, or it may act indirectly by inhibiting the development of Anabaena which in turn affects the Azolla lectin. The purified lectin was shown to be composed of 6 sub-units, each of M.W. 21000.