title: cDNA cloning and characterization of a mannose-binding lectin from Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) rhizomes.
abstract: Using RNA extracted from Zingiber officinale rhizomes and primers designed according to the conservative regions of monocot mannose-binding lectins, the full-length cDNA of Z. officinale agglutinin (ZOA) was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA of zoa was 746 bp and contained a 510 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a lectin precursor of 169 amino acids with a signal peptide. ZOA was a mannose-binding lectin with three typical mannose-binding sites (QDNY). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that zoa expressed in all the tested tissues of Z. officinale including leaf, root and rhizome, suggesting it to be a constitutively expressing form. ZOA protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli with the molecular weight expected. To our knowledge, this is the first mannose-binding lectin cDNA cloned from the family Zingiberaceae. Our results demonstrate that monocot mannose-binding lectins also occur within the family Zingiberaceae.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Morgan-Tan International Center for Life Sciences, Fudan- SJTU- Nottingham Plant Biotechnology R and D Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhonghai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guoyin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiaofen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kexuan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D020939:Zingiber officinale / Q000235:genetics*; D006384:Hemagglutination; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D027343:Rhizome / Q000737:chemistry*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D037601:Mannose-Binding Lectin