Semi-Quantification of Lectins in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes via Hemagglutination

Abstract

Lectins are unique glycoproteins that react with specific sugar residues on cell surfaces resulting in agglutination. They offer enormous applications in therapeutics, diagnostics, medicine, and agriculture. Rice lectins are naturally expressed during biotic and abiotic stresses suggesting their importance in stress resistance physiology. The objective of this study was to determine the presence and relative concentration of lectins in different accessions of rice obtained from IABGR/NARC Islamabad mainly originated from Pakistan. About 210 rice accessions including 02 local varieties and 05 transgenic seeds were screened for seed lectins using a hemagglutination (HA) assay with 5% Californian bred rabbits’ erythrocytes. A protein concentration of 3–8 mg/100 mg of seed flour was measured for all the rice accessions; the highest was 8.03mg for accession 7600, while the lowest noted was 3.05 mg for accession 7753.Out of 210 accessions, 106 showed the highest HA activity. These 106 genotypes were further screened for titer analysis and specific activity. The highest titer and specific activity were observed for accession 7271 as 1024 and 236 hemagglutination unit (HAU), respectively. The selected accessions’ relative affinity and HA capability were evaluated using blood from four different sources: human, broiler chicken, local rabbit, and Californian-breed rabbit. The highest HA activity was observed with Californian-breed rabbit RBCs. The lectin assay was stable for about 1–2 h. After the required investigations, the accessions with higher lectin concentration and HA capability could be used as a readily available source of lectins for further characterization and utilization in crop improvement programs.

Analysis of the Genetic Diversity of Crops and Associated Microbiota

“…Genetic diversity characteristics were studied in the different germplasm collections of two crops of the Poaceae family, namely sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) [1] and rice (Oryza sativa L.) [2]), two horticultural crops, namely carrot (Daucus carota L.) [3] and turnip (Brassica rapa L.) [4], and the legume Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) [5].…”

“…The objective of the rice diversity study was to determine the presence and relative concentration of lectins in different accessions of rice obtained from IABGR/NARC Islamabad, mainly originating from Pakistan [2]. Around 210 rice accessions, including 2 local varieties and 5 transgenic varieties, were screened for seed lectins using a hemagglutination (HA) assay with 5% Californian bred rabbits' erythrocytes.…”