Biosynthesis of ribosome-inactivating proteins from callus and cell suspension cultures of Mirabilis expansa (Ruiz &Pavon)

Abstract

 Callus and cell suspension cultures from the little known Andean crop Mirabilis expansa were developed and maintained on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (1 mg/l) and kinetin (0.1 mg/l). Callus and cell suspension cultures were screened with antibodies raised against ME1 (27.5 kDa) and ME2 (27 kDa), two ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) previously found in roots of M. expansa. A 29-kDa protein found in callus and cell suspensions reacted strongly with ME1 antibodies. The 29-kDa protein, named MEC, was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and cation exchange perfusion chromatography. Amino acid N-terminal sequencing revealed close homology between MEC and ME1. The MEC amino acid sequence examined was highly conserved among RIPs from widely different sources. This new RIP was immunolocalized to the cell walls of callus and cell suspension cultures.