An antigen expressed during plant vascular development crossreacts with antibodies towards KLH (keyhole limpet hemocyanin)

An antigen present in plant vascular tissue crossreacts with antibodies towards keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The antigen is present in xylem and vascular cambium, as evidenced by immunocytochemical staining of plant sections. This cell type assignment was confirmed by staining of mesophyll cell cultures from Zinnia elegans L. undergoing tracheary cell differentiation. The strongest staining both in sections and cell cultures occured in cells and tissues during early stages of differentiation. Although the anti-KLH antibodies can easily be removed by affinity purification, our findings suggest that a certain caution is needed when KLH is used as an immunological carrier for studies in plants.