RGD-dependent growth of maize calluses and immunodetection of an integrin-like protein

When maize calluses are grown in the presence of the RGD peptide, important morphological changes are observed indicating the presence of a likely RGD-binding receptor. Polyclonal antibodies generated against the human beta 1 integrin subunit, the platelet integrin alpha IIb beta 3 (P23) and antibodies specific for either the beta 3 platelet chain or the alpha IIb polypeptide crossreact with glycoproteins in Western blot analyses. Immunoprecipitation assays indicate that this maize integrin-like protein shares structural similarities with the animal alpha IIb beta 3 complex. We also show that AcAt2, a polyclonal antibody raised against Arabidopsis proteins purified on an RGD column, interacts with a maize protein, (C) 1999 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.