Biology:Wheat germ agglutinin
| Agglutinin isolectin 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | |||||||
| Organism | |||||||
| Symbol | WGA1 | ||||||
| PDB | 2uvo (ECOD) | ||||||
| UniProt | P10968 | ||||||
| |||||||
Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is a lectin that protects wheat (Triticum) from insects, yeast and bacteria. An agglutinin protein, it binds to N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and Sialic acid.[1] Succinylated WGA is selective for β-N-acetylglucosamine (β-GlcNAc), making it a useful tool for detecting O-GlcNAc. N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in the natural environment of wheat is found in the chitin of insects, and the cell membrane of yeast & bacteria. WGA is found abundantly—but not exclusively—in the wheat kernel, where it got the 'germ' name from. In mammals the N-acetyl-D-glucosamine that WGA binds to is found in cartilage[2] and cornea[3] among other places. In those animals sialic acid is found in mucous membranes, e.g. the lining of the inner nose, and digestive tract.
In solution, WGA exists mostly as a heterodimer of 38,000 daltons. It is cationic at physiological pH. It contains a Carbohydrate-binding module called CBM18.
Use in molecular biology
WGA is also widely used in biological research. Since WGA binds to glycoconjugates, it can be used to label cell membranes,[4] fibrotic scar tissue[5] and arbuscular mycorrhizae[6] for imaging and analysis.
See also
- Proteopedia: 2uvo – High resolution crystal structure of Wheat Germ Agglutinin in complex with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine
- Proteopedia: 2uwg – Crystal structure of Wheat Germ Agglutinin isolectin 1 in complex with glycosylurethan
References
- ↑ "Sugar-lectin interactions: how does wheat-germ agglutinin bind sialoglycoconjugates?". European Journal of Biochemistry 104 (1): 147–53. February 1980. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1980.tb04410.x. PMID 6892800.
- ↑ "Binding of wheat germ agglutinin in the matrix of rat tracheal cartilage". The Histochemical Journal 18 (10): 537–40. October 1986. doi:10.1007/BF01675194. PMID 3804790.
- ↑ "Sympathetic innervation of the rat cornea as demonstrated by the retrograde and anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase-wheat germ agglutinin". The Journal of Comparative Neurology 268 (2): 147–60. February 1988. doi:10.1002/cne.902680202. PMID 3360982.
- ↑ "Plasma Membrane - US" (in en). https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/cell-analysis/cell-structure/plasma-membrane.html.
- ↑ "Wheat germ agglutinin staining as a suitable method for detection and quantification of fibrosis in cardiac tissue after myocardial infarction". European Journal of Histochemistry 58 (4): 2448. December 2014. doi:10.4081/ejh.2014.2448. PMID 25578975.
- ↑ Carotenuto, Gennaro; Genre, Andrea (2020). "Fluorescent Staining of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Structures Using Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) and Propidium Iodide". Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi 2146: 53–59. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-0603-2_5.
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