Molecular cloning of Phaseolus vulgaris lectin mRNA and use of cDNA as a probe to estimate lectin transcript levels in various tissues.

The complete amino acid sequence of a Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Tendergreen lectin was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA plasmid. The lectin appears to be synthesized as a prepeptide consisting of a signal sequence of at least 20 residues and a mature protein of 223 amino acids. The 5' region of the lectin cDNA contains four AUG codons, one of which may initiate a 58 amino acid peptide out of phase with lectin translation. Lectin transcripts 1.1 kb long begin accumulating in cotyledons by the 9 mm stage, increasing in amount until about the 16 mm stage, after which their levels dramatically decrease. In addition, larger lectin-specific transcripts are detected in mid-maturation phase cotyledons. A 1.1 kb RNA species in leaves from plants filling their pods hybridizes with lectin cDNA, but no hybridizing RNA is found in primary leaves or roots.