Peanut agglutinin from callus and cell suspension cultures of Arachis hypogaea L.

Summary Synthesis of peanut agglutinin was induced in callus and cell suspension cultures of cotyledons of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). The lectin was synthesised in cultures through several passages. Biosynthesis of peanut agglutinin was regulated by the type and concentration of exogenous growth regulators and was positively correlated to the growth of the cultures, indicating that the agglutinin may have a role to play during cell growth. Movement of agglutinin from the cells into the medium not only facilitated easy isolation of the lectin but also provided a clue that it may probably serve as a defence molecule. The synthesized lectin purified from culture, was found to be biologically active, and was found to be comparable with the lectin from seeds, in terms of its electrophoretic mobility.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - EDTA ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid - HAU(s) haemagglutination unit(s) - IEF isoelectric focusing - KN kinetin - LS Linsmaier and Skoog (1965) medium - M_m medium promoting minimum growth of cells - M_X medium promoting maximum growth of cells - NAA naphthalene-1-acetic acid - PBS phosphate buffered saline - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride - PNA peanut agglutinin - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - SHAA specific haemagglutination activity - TCA trichloroacetic acid