The lectin level and the effect of abscisic acid on hemagglutinating activity during rye germination

Abstract

As we have previously found, the embryo is the only source of lectin in the mature, dry rye seed. During early germination the lectin activity decreased and most of it was found in the coleoptile. Leaves were found to contain only a trace amount of this protein. A 5-7 fold increase in the amount of lectin was found in grains which had imbibed for 6­12 hours in the presence of 10-5M and 10-4M ABA. At an ABA concentration of 10-4M, about 6 µg of lectin per germ was found even in grains which had been germinating for 5 days. The immunological properties and molecular masses of both RGA and RGA­like lectin accumulated in the presence of ABA were found to be identical.

Keywords

• lectin
• abscisic acid
• germination
• rye seedling