title: Isolation and partial characterisation of highly toxic lectins from Abrus pulchellus seeds.
abstract: The seeds of Abrus pulchellus, sub-specie tenuiflorus, belonging to the Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionoideae contain highly toxic lectins exhibiting specificity for galactose and galactose-containing structures. The toxins which agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes, present a highly toxic activity in vivo when injected in the peritoneal cavity of mice (LD50=31 microg x kg(-1)) or when tested with the microcrustacean Arthemia salina (LD50=3.5 microg x ml(-1)). The active fraction was purified in a single step, by affinity chromatography on a Sepharose-4B column. The purified toxins migrated as two single bands of Mr 63000 and 61500 Da (SDS-PAGE) and Mr 31500 and 29000 Da (SDS-PAGE with 2-mercaptoethanol), respectively, suggesting the presence of disulphide-bridge interchains as occurs in other plant toxins. The antibodies anti-A. pulchellus toxins did not recognize ricin preparation and only partial identity was observed to A. precatorius toxic lectins prepared in a similar way to ricin and A. pulchellus toxins.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Cavada
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Moreira
mesh_terms: D000036:Abrin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia / Q000187:drug effects; D001938:Brazil; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005690:Galactose / Q000737:chemistry; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D037121:Plant Lectins; D011817:Rabbits; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D037121:Plant Lectins; D000036:Abrin; D005690:Galactose