Rabbit anti-carbohydrate antibody elicited by the lymphocyte mitogenic glycoprotein from Wistaria floribunda seeds.

Rabbit antibody produced in response to the purified mitogenic glycoprotein lectin from Wistaria floribunda seeds (WFM) contains anti-carbohydrate antibody. This antibody, which represents 25% of the total antibody precipitated by the homologous antigen cross-reacts with the glycoprotein hemagglutinating lectins from Sophora japonica (SJL), W. floribunda (WFA) and the glycoprotein bromelain, but not the protein lectin from Maclura pomifera seeds. The cross-reactive reaction is totally abolished by the presence of glycopeptides obtained from SJL. Utilization of a fluorometric binding assay employing fluorescein derivatized glycopeptides from SJL, bromelain, fetuin and ovalbumin, it was found that the total anti-carbohydrate antibody population best reacts with the following carbohydrate structure: MAN alpha 1 leads to 6 MAN alpha 1 leads to 6 MAN beta 1 leads to 4 GLCNAC beta 1 leads to 4 GLCNAC beta 1 leads to Asn. Substitution of the beta-mannosyl moiety at position 3 results in structures not capable of binding to the anti-carbohydrate antibody. This antibody appears to distinguish between those glycan moieties of glycoproteins commonly found in animals from those lacking 3-O-substitution of the beta-mannosyl residue as found in some plant glycoproteins.