title: The arabinogalactan-proteins from pressed juice of Echinacea purpurea belong to the hybrid class of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins.
abstract: Pressed juices from Echinacea purpurea are used as non-specific immunostimulants, and arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are part of the active principle. An AGP fraction was isolated from pressed juice of E. purpurea by precipitation with ss-glucosyl Yariv reagent, followed by gel-permeation chromatography. Polyclonal antibodies directed against the carbohydrate moiety of this AGP fraction showed a preferential specificity for E. purpurea AGPs from pressed juice over those extracted from E. purpurea suspension culture and other plant species. Native AGPs purified from this AGP fraction by RP-HPLC were then deglycosylated for N-terminal protein sequencing resulting in the identification of three major polypeptides. They show characteristic motifs of classical AGPs but also some features of extensins, suggesting these may be "hybrid" hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany. bclassen@pharmazie.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Classen
authors.forename: S-L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Mau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bacic
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D020900:Echinacea / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009088:Mucoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009088:Mucoproteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; C006619:arabinogalactan proteins