title: The Xenopus laevis cortical granule lectin: cDNA cloning, developmental expression, and identification of the eglectin family of lectins.
abstract: A Xenopus laevis egg cortical granule, calcium-dependent, galactosyl-specific lectin participates in forming the fertilization layer of the egg envelope and functions in establishing a block to polyspermy. We report the cDNA cloning of the lectin, expression of the cortical granule lectin gene during oogenesis and early development, and identification of a new family of lectins. The translated cDNA for the cortical granule lectin had a signal peptide, a structural sequence of 298 amino acids, a molecular weight of 32.7 K, contained consensus sequence sites for N-glycosylation and a fibrinogen domain. The lectin cDNA was expressed during early stages of oogenesis. Lectin glycoprotein levels were constant during development with 2/3 of the lectin associated with the extracellular perivitelline space and the egg/embryo fertilization envelope. Lectin mRNA levels were from 100- to 1000-fold greater in ovary than in other adult tissues. The lectin had no sequence homology to the previously identified lectin families. The lectin had 41-88% amino acid identity with nine translated cDNA sequences from an ascidian, lamprey, frog, mouse, and human. Based on the conserved carbohydrate binding and structural properties of these glycoproteins, we propose a new family of lectins, the eglectin family.
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Betty Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Peavy
authors.forename: Nathan J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Wardrip
authors.forename: Jerry L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hedrick
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics*; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D037102:Lectins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029867:Xenopus Proteins