Jacalin: a jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) seed-derived lectin of versatile applications in immunobiological research.
Jacalin, the major protein from the jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) seeds, is a tetrameric two-chain lectin (molecular mass 65 kDa) combining a heavy alpha chain of 133 amino acid residues with a light beta chain of 20-21 amino acid residues. It is highly specific for the alpha-O-glycoside of the disaccharide Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (Gal beta1-3GalNAc), even in its sialylated form. This property has made jacalin suitable for studying various O-linked glycoproteins, particularly human IgA1. Jacalin's uniqueness in being strongly mitogenic for human CD4+ T lymphocytes has made it a useful tool for the evaluation of the immune status of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1. The abundance of source material for the production of jacalin, its ease of purification, yield and stability have made it an attractive cost-effective lectin. It has found applications in diverse areas such as the isolation of human plasma glycoproteins (IgA1, C1-inhibitor, hemopexin, alpha2-HSG), the investigation of IgA-nephropathy, the analysis of O-linked glycoproteins and the detection of tumours.
Academic Research and Information Management, Stockholm, Sweden.
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D000486:Allergy and Immunology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D006801:Humans; D007369:Interferon Inducers / Q000494:pharmacology; D037102:Lectins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D037121:Plant Lectins; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012106:Research; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
D007369:Interferon Inducers; D037102:Lectins; D008934:Mitogens; D037121:Plant Lectins; C043696:jacalin