红花菜豆凝集素的糖结合专一性

经肼解、Ｂｉｏ－Ｇｅｌ Ｐ－２柱层析、ＮａＢ＾３Ｈ４和ＮａＢＨ４还原,制备各种来源的、氚标记在还原末端的、还原末端为Ｎ－乙酰氨基葡萄糖醇的混合寡糖,经Ｂｉｏ－Ｇｅｌ Ｐ－４凝胶柱分离,以及用糖苷酶酶解,制备了各种不同类型的氚标记的寡糖。这些寡糖在固定化的ＰＣＬ－Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ柱上亲和层析,根据各种类型寡糖在ＰＣＬ－Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ柱上的层析行为,确定红花菜豆（矮生红花变种）凝集素（ＰＣＬ）的     

Molecular mechanisms of Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells

Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL), a mannose/sialic acid-binding lectin, has been reported to display remarkable inhibitory and cytotoxic activity toward cancer cells. However, the precise mechanism by which PCL induces tumor cell death is still only rudimentarily understood. In the present study, PCL was shown to markedly inhibit the growth of human melanoma A375 cells with concomitant low toxicity to the normal melanocytes. Subsequently, PCL was found to simultaneously induce A375 cell apoptosis and autophagy. The mechanism of apoptosis following treatment with PCL involved regulation of Bax, Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 proteins, which then caused collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential, leading to cytochrome c release and caspase activation. The treatment with PCL also abrogated the glutathione antioxidant system, and induced mitochondria to generate massive ROS accumulation, which subsequently resulted in p38 and p53 activation. Further experimental data confirmed that the ROS-p38-p53 pathway could be involved in the stimulation of autophagy, suggesting that autophagy may play a death-promoting role via the above-mentioned apoptotic pathway. In conclusion, these findings indicate that PCL induces both apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells through a mitochondria-mediated ROS-p38-p53 pathway.     

Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin, a potential antineoplastic drug targeting programmed cell death pathways

Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL), a mannose/sialic acid-binding plant lectin, has recently drawn a rising attention for cancer biologists because PCL bears remarkable anti-tumor activities and thus inducing programmed cell death (PCD) including apoptosis and autophagy in cancer cells. In this review, we focus on exploring the precise molecular mechanisms by which PCL induces cancer cell apoptotic death such as the caspase-dependent pathway, mitochondria-mediated ROS–p38–p53 pathway, Ras–Raf and PI3K–Akt pathways. In addition, we further elucidate that PCL induces cancer cell autophagic death via activating mitochondrial ROS–p38–p53 pathway, as well as via blocking Ras–Raf and PI3K–Akt pathways, suggesting an intricate relationship between autophagic and apoptotic death in PCL-induced cancer cells. In conclusion, these findings may provide a new perspective of Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL) as a potential anti-tumor drug targeting PCD pathways for future cancer therapeutics.     

The mechanism of action of the cytotoxic lectin from Phoradendron californicum: the RNA N-glycosidase activity of the protein

A toxic lectin from Phoradendron californicum (PCL) was found to inactivate catalytically 60 S ribosomal subunits of rabbit reticulocytes, resulting in the inhibition of protein synthesis. To study the mechanism of action of PCL, rat liver ribosomes were treated with the toxin and the extracted rRNA was treated with aniline. A fragment containing about 450 nucleotides was released from the 28 S rRNA. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the fragment revealed that the aniline-sensitive phosphodiester bond was between A4324 and G4325 of the 28 S rRNA. These results indicate that PCL inactivates the ribosomes by cleaving an N-glycosidic bond at A4324 of 28 S rRNA in the ribosomes as does ricin A-chain.     

Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin induces murine fibrosarcoma L929 cell apoptosis and autophagy via blocking Ras–Raf and PI3K–Akt signaling pathways

Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL), a mannose/sialic acid-binding lectin, has been reported to display remarkable anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities toward a variety of cancer cells; however, the precise molecular mechanisms by which PCL induces cancer cell death are still elusive. In the current study, we found that PCL could induce apoptosis and autophagy in murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells. Subsequently, we demonstrated that inhibition of Ras could promote L929 cell death, suggesting that Ras–Raf signaling pathway plays the key negative regulator in PCL-induced apoptosis. And, we showed that Ras-Raf signaling pathway was also involved in PCL-induced autophagy as the negative regulator. In addition, we found that class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)–Akt signaling pathway could play the negative regulator in PCL-induced apoptosis and autophagy. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PCL induces murine fibrosarcoma L929 cell apoptosis and autophagy via blocking Ras-Raf and PI3K–Akt signaling pathways.     

黄精凝集素Ⅱ的纯化及部分性质研究

囊丝黄精（ＰｏｌｙｇｏｎａｔｕｍｃｙｒｔｏｎｅｍａＨｕａ．）的根状茎,经浸取、用硫酸铵分级沉淀、猪甲状腺球蛋白－Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ４Ｂ柱亲和层析、ＣＭ－Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ柱离子交换层析和ＳｅｐｈａｄｅｘＧ－１００凝胶过滤,可以分离纯化出黄精凝集素Ⅱ（ＰＣＬⅡ）．纯化的ＰＣＬⅡ在聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳中显示单一蛋白染色带;在快速高效液相色谱中亦为单一蛋白峰,经分子筛层析测得分子量为１５．９ｋＤ,最大紫外吸收值在２７８ｎｍ,ＰＣＬⅡ只凝集兔红细胞,当浓度为０．２５μｇ／ｍｌ时,即可发生凝集反应,此凝集兔红细胞的能力可被Ｄ－甘露糖和猪甲状腺球蛋白所抑制．氨基酸组成分析表明ＰＣＬⅡ分子中富含酸性氨基酸,Ｎ末端为丙氨酸．经测定ＰＣＬⅡ分子中含有３个色氨酸和２．４％的中性糖．原子发射光谱分析表明,该凝集素分子中含有Ｍｇ和Ｃａ两种金属元素．     

Anti-HIV Ⅰ/Ⅱ Activity and Molecular Cloning of a Novel Mannose/Sialic Acidbinding Lectin from Rhizome of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua

The anti-human immunodeficiency virus （HIV） Ⅰ/Ⅱ activity of a mannose and sialic acid binding lectin isolated from rhizomes of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua was elucidated by comparing its HIV infection inhibitory activity in MT-4 and CEM cells with that of other mannose-binding lectins （MBLs）. The anti-HIV activity of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua lectin （PCL） was 10- to 100-fold more potent than other tested MBLs, but without significant cytotoxicity towards MT-4 or CEM cells. To amplify cDNA of PCL by 3＇/5＇-rapid amplification of cDNA ends （RACE）, the 30 amino acids of N-terminal were determined by sequencing and the degenerate oligonucleotide primers were designed. The full-length cDNA of PCL contained 693 bp with an open reading frame encoding a precursor protein of 160 amino acid residues, consisting of a 28-residue signal peptide, a 22-residue C-terminal cleavage peptide and a 110-residue mature polypeptide which contained three tandemly arranged subdomains with an obvious sequence homology to the monocot MBL. However, only one active mannose-binding site （QDNVY） was found in subdomain Ⅰ of PCL, that of subdomain Ⅱ and Ⅲ changed to HNNVY and PDNVY, respectively. There was no intron in PCL, which was in good agreement with other monocot MBLs. Molecular modeling of PCL indicated that its three-dimensional structure resembles that of the snowdrop agglutinin. By docking, an active sialic acid-binding site was found in PCL. The instabilization of translation initiation region （TIR） in mRNA of PCL benefits its high expression in rhizomes.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a mannose-binding lectin gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinellia cordata</Emphasis>

Using RNA extracted from Pinellia cordata young leaves and primers designed according to the conserved regions of Araceae lectins, the full-length cDNA of Pinellia cordata agglutinin (PCL) was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA of pcl was 1,182 bp and contained a 768 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a lectin precursor of 256 amino acids. Through comparative analysis of pcl gene and its deduced amino acid sequence with those of other Araceae species, it was found that pcl encoded a precursor lectin with signal peptide. PCL is a mannose-binding lectin with three mannose-binding sites. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that pcl is expressed in all tested tissues including leaf, stem and bulbil, but with the highest expression in bulbil. PCL protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli with the molecular weight expected.     

红花菜豆凝集素的荧光光谱学研究

利用荧光光谱方法研究了红花菜豆凝集素（Ｐｈａｓｅｏｌｕｓｃｏｃｃｉｎｅｕｓｖａｒ．ｒｕｂｒｏｎａｎｕｓｌｅｃｔｉｎ,简称ＰＣＬ）,结果表明ＰＣＬ分子各亚基中的两个色氨酸（Ｔｒｐ）残基分别位于ＰＣＬ分子表面和分子内。标记了ＤＮＳ的ＰＣＬ荧光偏振研究指出,致使ＰＣＬ在１０ｍｍｏｌ／ＬＳＤＳ条件下失活的主要原因可能是亚基解离。荧光偏振研究还表明,甲状腺球蛋白、甘露聚糖、海参多糖硫酸酯可与ＰＣＬ结合。荧光探针ｂｉｓ－ＡＮＳ与ＰＣＬ的结合可引起明显的荧光增强和发射谱蓝移,表明ＰＣＬ分子中存有疏水区域。结合了的ｂｉｓ－ＡＮＳ还可和ＰＣＬ中的Ｔｒｐ发生能量传递。     

Plant lectins: targeting programmed cell death pathways as antitumor agents

Lectins, a group of highly diverse, carbohydrate-binding proteins of non-immune origin that are ubiquitously distributed in plants, animals and fungi, are well-characterized to have numerous links a wide range of pathological processes, most notably cancer. In this review, we present a brief outline of the representative plant lectins including Ricin-B family, proteins with legume lectin domains and GNA family that can induce cancer cell death via targeting programmed cell death pathways. Amongst these above-mentioned lectins, we demonstrate that mistletoe lectins (MLs), Ricin, Concanavalin A (ConA) and Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin (PCL) can lead to cancer cell programmed death via targeting apoptotic pathways. In addition, we show that ConA and PCL can also result in cancer cell programmed death by targeting autophagic pathways. Moreover, we summarize the possible anti-cancer therapeutic implications of plant lectins such as ConA, Phaseolus vulgaris lectin (PHA) and MLs that have been utilized at different stages of preclinical and clinical trials. Together, these findings can provide a comprehensive perspective for further elucidating the roles of plant lectins that may target programmed cell death pathways in cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics. And, this research may, in turn, ultimately help cancer biologists and clinicians to exploit lectins as potential novel antitumor drugs in the future.     

A novel sialic acid-specific lectin from Phaseolus coccineus seeds with potent antineoplastic and antifungal activities

A novel lectin (PCL) with specificity towards sialic acid was purified from Phaseolus coccineus L. (P. multiflorus willd) seeds using ion exchange chromatography on CM and DEAE-Sepharose, and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 column. PCL was a homodimer consisting of 29,831.265 Da subunits as determined by gel filtration and MS. Also, PCL was a non-metaloprotein and its N-terminal 23-amino acid sequence, ATETSFSFQRLNLANLVLNKESS, was determined. Subsequently, MTT method, cell morphological analysis and LDH activity-based cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that PCL was highly cytotoxic to L929 cells and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Using caspase inhibitors, a typical caspase-dependent pathway was confirmed. PCL also showed remarkable antifungal activity towards some plant pathogenic fungi. Furthermore, when sialic acid-specific activity was fully inhibited, cytotoxicity and antifungal activity were abruptly decreased, respectively, suggesting a significant correlation between sialic acid-specific site and its bi-functional bioactivities.     

Transgenic Tobacco Plants with Two Consecutive Oxidation Reactions Catalyzed by Hyoscyamine 6β-Hydroxylase

Among mushrooms of Pleurotus cornucopiae two kinds of fruit bodies, lectin (PCL)-containing and -deficient, were found. The PCL-deficient fruit body was found to contain a 16.5-kDa protein, which was purified to homogeneity and crystallized. Properties of the protein were investigated in comparison with PCL. The protein consisted of four identical subunits each having a molecular mass of 16.5 kDa, which was close to that of PCL. Partial amino acid sequences of the two proteins were analyzed and some sequence homology was found, although the protein did not cross-react with anti-PCL serum and it was devoid of binding activity for mucin, an inhibitor of PCL. The 16.5-kDa protein was not found in vegetatively growing mycelia, indicating that the synthesis of the protein was developmentally regulated as was PCL. The results suggest that the 16.5-kDa protein was related to PCL.     

Apoptosis-inducing effect and structural basis of Polygonatum cyrtonema lectin and chemical modification properties on its mannose-binding sites

Polygonatum cyrtonema Lectin (PCL), which is classified as a monocot mannose-binding lectin, has received great regards for its uniquely biological activities and potentially medical applications in cancer cells. This paper was initially aimed to study apoptosis of PCL on Hela cells. Thus, 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method was carried out. Through observation of cell morphologic changes and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity-based cytotoxicity assays, PCL induced HeLa cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. To further gain structural basis, multiple alignments, homology modeling and docking experiments were performed to analyze the correlation between its biological activities and mannose-binding sites. Eventually, considering docking data, chemical modification properties on the three mannose-binding sites were analyzed by a series of biological experiments (e.g., hemagglutinating and mitogenic activity assays, fluorescence and Circular Dichrosim (CD) spectroscopy) to profoundly identify the role of some key amino acids in the structure-function relationship of PCL.     

红花菜豆(矮生红花变种)凝集素分子的色氨酸残基修饰与其活性的关系

用各种化学试剂修饰红花菜豆（Ｐｈａｓｅｏｌｕｓｃｏｃｃｉｎｅｕｓｖａｒｒｕｂｒｏｎａｎｕｓ,Ｂｅｒｒｙ）凝集素（简称ＰＣＬ）分子,测定与其活性相关的氨基酸残基．经ＮＢＳ修饰表明ＰＣＬ具有８个Ｔｒｐ残基,其中４个暴露于分子表面,此４个Ｔｒｐ残基被修饰后,ＰＣＬ的凝血活性完全丧失．比较ＰＣＬ修饰前后的ＣＤ光谱表明修饰不改变其二级结构。修饰Ｔｙｒ,Ａｒｇ,Ｈｉｓ残基和游离氨基及羧基不影响ＰＣＬ的血凝活性．巯基也不是血凝活性所必需,但是ＰＣＬ分子中的二硫键被还原,或被ＣＮＢｒ分解为两个片断则使蛋白质丧失血凝活性,提示分子的完整结构对ＰＣＬ的血凝活力是重要的     

酪氨酸的不同化学修饰对黄精凝集素生物学活性的影响

凝集素作为一类非免疫原的糖结合蛋白,在与细胞的识别和结合中介导了一系列事件的发生,如促淋巴细胞有丝分裂、对肿瘤细胞的特异凝集、抑制病原微生物的生长等[1].凝集素的特性主要归因于其特异的糖结合活性,而特殊氨基酸对它保持这种结合活性是必需的.故确定这些特异的氨基酸是研究凝集素结构与功能关系的基础.化学修饰可以鉴别哪些氨基酸位于功能区[2].黄精凝集素(Polyg-onatumcyrtonemaHua.lectin,PCL)是具有多种生物学活性的糖蛋白,二硫键、巯基、色氨酸、金属离子并不影响其兔红细胞凝集活性[3].本文报道用不同试剂修饰酪氨酸,以研究…     

红花菜豆（矮生红花变种）凝集素的生物学作用

红花菜豆（矮生红花变种,Ｐｈａｓｅｏｌｕｓｃｏｃｃｉｎｅｕｓｖａｒ．ｒｕｂｒｏｎａｎｕｓ）凝集素（ＰＣＬ）识别高甘露糖型寡糖并与之结合,它的生物学作用都与其糖结合专一性有关。ＰＣＬ的血凝作用不显示供血动物专一性和和血型专一性。ＰＣＬ除凝集红细胞外亦凝集动物其它细胞,如小鼠脾细胞、人精细胞及某些肿瘤细胞如黑色素瘤细胞Ｍ２１、胄癌细胞等。此外ＰＣＬ亦凝集某些微生物如野生型和Ｈ．Ｂ．１０１大肠杆菌以及面包酵母。ＰＣＬ具有促细胞分裂作用,使小鼠脾细胞和人外周血淋巴细胞转化的ＰＣＬ的最低浓度为２５０μｇ／Ｌ。ＰＣＬ能抑制某些癌瘤细胞的生长,在测试的几种细胞中,对人黑色素瘤细胞Ｍ２１生长的抑制较为明显。ＰＣＬ亦能抑制野生型大肠杆菌和面包酵母的生长,ＰＣＬ的细胞凝集、促淋巴细胞转化和抑制细胞生长的作用,都是首先通过它的糖结合部位与细胞表面的糖基结合导致的。     

Design, expression, and crystallization of recombinant lectin from the garden pea (Pisum sativum)

The propeptide form of the lectin from the garden pea (Pisum sativum agglutinin) has been expressed in Escherichia coli by attaching its cDNA to an inducible promoter. By a number of criteria, including the ability to form dimers, hemagglutination titer, Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the resulting propeptide molecule is virtually indistinguishable from the mature proteolytically processed lectin isolated from peas. Preliminary crystallization experiments using the recombinant propeptide lectin yield crystals in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 64.8 A, b = 73.8 A, and c = 109.0 A (1 A = 0.1 nm) that diffract to 2.8-A resolution. This unit cell size is quite similar to the unit cell determined for native pea lectin, suggesting that the overall structure of the recombinant prolectin is virtually identical.     

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of a pea lectin-methyl 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside complex

The seed lectin isolated from garden peas (Pisum sativum) has been co-crystallized with methyl 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell dimensions a = 64.3 A, b = 73.4 A and C = 108.5 A. The asymmetric unit contains one pea lectin dimer (alpha 2 beta 2). The crystals are suitable for high-resolution structure analysis.     

The isolation of a rat alveolar macrophage lectin

A lectin in rat alveolar macrophage membranes with a high affinity for binding ligands containing L-fucose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine has been isolated by affinity chromatography on Fuc-BSA-Sepharose (where Fuc is fucosyl and BSA is bovine serum albumin). The lectin was extracted from rat lung homogenates with Triton X-100, absorbed from the extract onto Fuc-BSA-Sepharose in the presence of Ca2+ and eluted by removal of Ca2+. After a second adsorption to and elution from Fuc-BSA-Sepharose, three protein species were detected electrophoretically in fractions that bind Fuc-BSA. One, which was the mannose/N-acetylglucosamine lectin (Mr = 32,000) found earlier in hepatocytes, was removed by adsorption on anti-lectin IgG-Sepharose. Another (Mr = 46,000) was removed by adsorption to Fuc-BSA-Sepharose and elution with galactose. The remaining lectin (Mr = 180,000) bound fucose and N-acetylglucosamine but not galactose. Binding was maximal between pH 6.5 and 9.0 and dependent on Ca2+. Immunocytological analysis with rabbit anti-lectin IgG and fluorescein-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG revealed the lectin to be in rat alveolar macrophages and nonparenchymal cells of liver. Thus, the lectin appears to be present in macrophages and is likely involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis. It is distinctly different structurally from the hepatocyte lectin with a similar ligand-binding specificity.     

Isolation and characterization of an N-acetylgalactosamine specific lectin from Salvia sclarea seeds

Crude extracts from Salvia sclarea seeds were known to contain a lectin which specifically agglutinates Tn erythrocytes (Bird, G. W. G., and Wingham, G. (1974) Vox Sang. 26, 163-166). We have purified the lectin to homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography. The agglutinin was found to be a glycoprotein of Mr = 50,000, composed of two identical subunits of Mr = 35,000 linked together by disulfide bonds. The purified lectin agglutinates specifically Tn erythrocytes and, at higher concentrations, also Cad erythrocytes. Native A, B, or O red blood cells are not agglutinated by the lectin and, even after treatment with sialidase or papain, these cells are not recognized. Tn red cells present 1.45 X 10(6) accessible sites to the lectin which binds to these erythrocytes with an association constant of 1.8 X 10(6) M-1. On Cad red cells, 1.73 X 10(6) sites are accessible to the lectin which binds with an association constant of 1.0 X 10(6) M-1. The carbohydrate specificity of the S. sclarea lectin has been determined in detail, using well defined monosaccharide, oligosaccharide, and glycopeptide structures. The lectin was found to be specific for terminal N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) residues. It binds preferentially alpha GalNAc determinants either linked to Ser or Thr (as in Tn structures) or linked in 1-3 to a beta GalNAc or to an unsubstituted beta Gal. Although more weakly, the lectin binds beta GalNAc residues linked in 1-4 to a beta Gal (as in Cad structures). It does not recognize beta GalNAc determinants linked in 1-3 to a Gal (as in globoside) or the alpha GalNAc residues of blood group A structures.