Triticum vulgaris Lectin (WGA) - Texas Red

Wheat germ lectin (WGA) is an affinity-purified lectin from wheat that binds to non-enzymes of glycoproteins and glycolipid n-acetyl-D-glucosamine and sialic acid residues. This lectin protects common wheat from insects, yeast and bacteria. WGA consists of two subunits with a molecular weight of 36kda. It is an acidic protein with mitotic activity on lymphocytes. It can agglutinate red blood cells and most malignant cells. Similar to insulin, WGA increases the rate of glucose oxidation in isolated fat cells and can be used to isolate and isolate insulin receptors. A recent addition time study showed that when lectins are incubated with viruses and added to cells during infection, WGA inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting replication. Data from the same study suggest that the mode of action is the interaction between WGA and the viral envelope, leading to neutralization of the virus. This may occur through highly glycosylated spike proteins. WGA has been used in oral squamous cell carcinoma staining techniques to detect the degree of cell cohesion. It has been shown to inhibit melanoma cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Cytotoxic activity against cancer cells is a characteristic of WGA. Its binding effects have been studied in many cancers, including but not limited to liver cancer, choriocarcinoma, osteosarcoma, and some pancreatic cancers. Texas red is a red fluorescent dye that, when combined with common wheat lectin (WGA), can show the binding pattern of this lectin in cell imaging applications. There is little overlap between the emission spectra of Texas Red and FITC, making this combination ideal for double-labeling experiments. Rhodamine dyes, such as Texas red, have better light stability and are less sensitive to pH changes than other dyes such as fluorescein.