Plant lectins are a group of glycoproteins with the ability to
recognize and bind carbohydrate ligands. Seed lectins function
as storage and defense proteins, but the specific function of
vegetative lectins is uncertain. In this paper we describe the
characterization of a clone, CanVLEC, encoding a vegetative
lectin from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. cv. Castellana). The
expression of the CanVLEC gene was specific in seedlings,
mostly in hooks and elongating epicotyls, and no expression
was detected in adult plants. The level of chickpea vegetative
lectin transcripts in epicotyls decreased through the epicotyl growth suggesting a relationship to development. Treatment
with indoleacetic acid (IAA) and brassinolides (BR), hormones
that promoted elongation in chickpea epicotyl, increased
the level of CanVLEC mRNA, supporting a relationship
to growth. CanVLEC is drastically down regulated by
water deficit ruling out its possible involvement in plant response
to water stress, unlike other vegetative lectins.
CanVLEC protein may be targeted to an extracellular location
owing to the presence of a signal peptide.
