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The lectin from Datura stramonium can be inhibited by oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine. This property was exploited to purify the lectin by affinity chromatography on Sepharosefetuin. The purified lectin is a glycoprotein in having subunits of 40 000 and 45 000 mol.wt.
Plants of Datura stramonium (thorn-apple) were dissected into their component tissues and examined for the presence of the Datura lectin. This lectin was easily detected in seeds and in various parts of the flowers of adult plants. Traces were also found in green (emerged) cotyledons and roots of seedlings. The specific lectin activity in seeds contained within the fruits increased as the seeds matured. Mature seeds were homogenized in sucrose and separated by differential centrifugation into four fractions, three of which were clearly of distinct composition. Most of the lectin activity sedimented with the low-speed (cell-wall/protein-body) pellet, but a similar specific activity was recovered from the other fractions. However, if EDTA was included in the homogenization medium, three or four times more lectin activity was recovered in the soluble fraction. Immunofluorescent staining of formaldehyde-fixed sections showed that the lectin was localized in the cytoplasm, with little associated with cell walls. The possible relevance of these results to the function of the lectin in plant cells is discussed.
The lectin of Jimson-weed seeds (Datura stramonium L.) was isolated by affinity chromatography on a polysaccharide mixture from mycelium of Aspergillus niger. The lectin yields two bands on disc electrophoresis, it has sedimentation coefficient s20,w = 3.8 S and its apparent molecular weight estimated by thin layer gel chromatography is 120,000. The lectin reduced with mercaptoethanol yields on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of dodecyl sulfate three zones corresponding to subunits of molecular weight 72,000, 45,000 and 25,000. The lectin contains large amounts of cystine, glycine, 6.3% of hydroxyproline residues, 4.5% glucosamine and 28% of neutral sugar, predominantly arabinose. The lectin is nonspecific in human erythrocyte ABO system, it is not inhibited by simple sugars but is inhibited by a partial hydrolysate of chitin-containing mixture of polysaccharides from Aspergillus niger.
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In 12 asthmatic patients with mild airway obstruction we have measured the effect on specific airway resistance (sRaw) of inhaling the smoke of one Datura stramonium cigarette. In 11 patients sRaw decreased substantially after the cigarette, the mean maximal decrease being 40% at the 30th minute. In seven patients the subsequent inhalation of 200 micrograms salbutamol caused no further decrease in sRaw. In the remaining four patients salbutamol induced a larger decrease in sRaw than the cigarette smoke. The inhalation, however, of a synthetic anticholinergic agent (SCH 1000, 600 micrograms) proved as effective as salbutamol in these patients. In one patient the cigarette smoke and SCH 1000 produced only a negligible amount of bronchodilatation whereas the bronchial obstruction was reversible with salbutamol. Minor side effects were observed in six patients after the cigarette.
The fatty acid constitution of three seed-oils, namely, Cassia alexandrina, Cassia italica and Datura stramonium, were carried out using gas chromatographic analysis. The glyceride structure of these oils was computed using the technique of pancreatic lipase hydrolysis. The phospholipids fraction of these oils were identified using thin layer chromatography, also the fatty acid constitution of the phosphilipids were determined quantitatively by gas liquid chromatography.
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Particular RNA fragments obtained by action of pancreatic ribonuclease on purified RNAs originating from species totally unrelated to Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Escherichia coli, rabbit, monkey) are capable of inducing the formation of transplantable tumorous tissue when introduced at wounded sites in inverted stems of Datura stramonium maintained under axenic conditions on a medium containing auxin and kinetin. Reovirus RNA and a small size RNA (5-6S) isolated from RNA bound RNA directed DNA polymerase from Escherichia coli also induced the appearance of tumorous tissues which grow on solid synthetic medium in the absence of auxin and kinetin.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
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An RNA bound to the reverse transcriptase of Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been isolated and shown to be oncogenic for stem tissues of Datura stramonium grown under axenic conditions. The tumorous nature of the cellular change induced by the infectious rna was demonstrated by serial grafts of tumors on Datura stems and by cultivation of tumorous tissue in vitro on a medium without supplemental auxins and cytokinins. Active cellular proliferation within tissues of Datura stems was a prerequisite for expression of the oncogenic potential of the RNA. Further, infectious RNA was isolated from avirulent and attenuated strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens including attenuated derivatives of strain AC58 which have been "heat-cured" of the plasmid associated with virulence. It is proposed that the infectious RNA is an essential but not the sole component of the tumor-inducing mechanism of the crown-gall bacterium.
The hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic plants of large domestic animals have been reviewed. The most important ones are those widely distributed as weeds over pastures, negelcted forests and grasslands, those used as ornamentals, the nitrate concentrating forage crops, and the cyanophoric plants. Crotolaria spp, the ragwort (Senecia jacobaea), the lantana spp. and heliotopum are common hepatoxic plants. Amaranthus retroflexus, Datura stramonium, Solanum rostratum, and the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) are nephrotoxic plants.
Jimson weed (Datura stramonium), is a wild growing herb that contains belladonna alkaloids. Recently there have been reports of intentional ingestion of Jimson weed by adolescents for psychedelic purposes. When seen in emergency department, these patients appear with physical signs of atropine-like poisoning, disturbances of thought and hallucinations. Diagnosis depends on a positive history, if available, and recognition of anticholinergic effects. Differentiation from lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) ingestion and schizophrenia is important. Physostigmine, an anticholinergic agent, can reverse both central and peripheral manifestations of Jimson weed intoxication.