Molecular cloning of a novel mannose-binding lectin gene from Arisaema heterophyllum

A new lectin gene was cloned from Arisaema heterophyllum. The full-length cDNA of Arisaema heterophyllum agglutinin (AHA) was 1169 bp and contained a 777 bp open reading frame encoding a 258 amino acid protein. Homology analysis showed that AHA had high homology with many other mannose-binding lectins. Secondary and three-dimensional analyses showed that AHA had many common characters of mannose-binding lectin superfamily. Southern blot analysis of the genomic DNA revealed that aha belonged to a multigene family. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that aha constitutively expressed in various plant tissues includina inflorescence, leaf and tuber, and highly expressed in the tuber. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.