Lectin of Yersinia pestis vaccine strain EV and its immunological properties

As the result of the chromatographic separation of Y. pestis EV membrane proteins, a protein fraction with hemagglutinating activity was obtained. The isolated preparation was glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 22 kD, contained 16% of carbohydrates and exhibited thermolabile properties. The determination of the carbohydrate specificity of this glycoprotein revealed that it belonged to the class of lectins. Changes in the content of 11 corticosteroids and the population composition of lymphocytes, as well as the detection of specific antibodies in the blood serum of guinea pigs immunized with lectin, were indicative of the fact that the preparation was sufficiently immunogenic and induced the activation of the processes of proliferation and activation of lymphocytes during immunogenesis. The lectin isolated from Y. pestis EV outer membrane may be regarded as an additional factor ensuring the contact of the pathogen with the cells of the body and as a promising component of combined plague vaccine.     

First report of a xylose-specific lectin with potent hemagglutinating, antiproliferative and anti-mitogenic activities from a wild ascomycete mushroom

From fresh fruiting bodies of the wild ascomycete mushroom (Xylaria hypoxylon) a lectin with N-terminal sequence resemblance to a part of Aspergillus oryzae genome and only slight similarity to fungal immunomodulatory protein from the mushroom Flammulina velutipes was isolated. The protocol comprised extraction with water, precipitation from the aqueous extract using 80% saturated (NH(4))(2)SO(4), ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and CM-cellulose, and then gel filtration by fast protein liquid chromatography on Superdex 75. Lectin activity was adsorbed on DEAE-cellulose and unadsorbed on CM-cellulose. The lectin appeared as a single band with a molecular mass of 14.4 kDa in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a single 28.8-kDa peak in gel filtration on Superdex 75. The lectin exhibited highly potent antiproliferative activity toward tumor cell lines, and exerted a potent anti-mitogenic action on mouse splenocytes. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was inhibited by inulin and xylose. It was stable up to 35 degrees C. At 40 degrees C its hemagglutinating activity was reduced by 50%, and it dwindled to 12.5% of the original activity at 50 degrees C. The hemagglutinating activity was also sensitive to NaOH and HCl solutions. The hemagglutinating activity was unaffected by CaCl(2) and ZnCl(2), and was potentiated substantially in the presence of AlCl(3) and FeCl(3). The distinctive features of this lectin comprise a unique sugar specificity, and highly potent hemagglutinating, antiproliferative and anti-mitogenic activities. X. hypoxylon lectin differs in molecular mass, N-terminal sequence and sugar specificity from previously reported ascomycete mushroom lectins.     

Purification and Characterization of a Lectin from Chinese Quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) Fruit

Chaenomeles sinensis lectin (CSL) was isolated from Chinese quince fruit by affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of native CSL was estimated to be 16 kD by gel filtration chromatography. This lectin was found to contain approximately 57% carbohydrates. The molecular weight of deglycosylated CSL was estimated to be 3.6 kD by tricine-SIDS-PAGE under reduced conditions. Our results suggest that CSL may be a homodimer. The hemagglutinating activity of CSL was inhibited by N-acetyllactosamine and chicken ovalbumin, and it was drastically decreased at pH levels of 9.0 or greater. CSL may be a useful tool for the purification of glycoconjugates.     

Molecular association of lectin and beta-glucosidase in corn coleoptile

Corn coleoptile lectin is present with beta-glucosidase (EC. 3.2.1.2.1) in a single tightly bound molecular association complex (88.7 kDa). SDS-PAGE of the molecular complex dissociates into two main components. Of these, at a concentration of 75%, the corn coleoptile beta-glucosidase (60 kDa) is identified by enzymatic activity, with two 16-amino acid tryptic peptides displaying close homology with the primary structure of the enzyme. In separate experiments, we isolated homogenous monomeric enzyme of corn coleoptile. This allowed us to conclude that lectin properties like erythrocyte agglutination, found in the (88.7 kDa) molecular complex, is not due to the beta-glucosidase bound in it. Another protein (30 kDa) dissociated from the same SDS-PAGE gels rendered several tryptic peptides, including a 20-amino acid sequence V(L)GP(Q)W(A)GGSGGSPVDITAEPQR closely homologous to the putative beta-glucosidase aggregating factor (BGAF) precursor described recently. Tryptic peptide SAFTE(A)WN(V)ELK(V) was also present in the BGAF precursor. KFHEQR peptide was not present in BGAF precursor or any other protein sequence examined. Tryptic peptide TYGPFGA showed good homology with the BGAF precursor protein, FEGLYLFHTPLGSGAN peptide displayed identity with the BGAF precursor sequence. Thus, the 30 kDa protein does not appear to be identical to BGAF, but is rather a similar molecule which could be endowed with the lectin properties of the 88.7 kDa molecular complex.     

Purification and Characterization of Lectin from Seeds of Delonix regia

A lectin from the crude extract of seeds of Delonix regia (DRL) has been purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation followed by specific adsorption on Sephadex G-50 column and subsequent displacement with 100 mM D-glucose. The purified lectin (yield 1.41 mg g^?1 dry seed) is a hetero-tetramer of 156 kD in size, consisting of four polypeptides (M_r of 32, 36, 42 and 46 kD) as detected on SDS-PAGE. It is a thermostable protein and remains active between pH 2.0–11.0. The lectin agglutinated erythrocytes of human and other primates. The hemagglutinating activity was not affected by cations and chelating agents. Of the 23 different sugars tested for specificity, maximum inhibition of the hemagglutination was shown by D-glucose. The immunological crossreactions of DRL with monospecific antibodies against SBA, Con A, PNA, DBA and PHA-E indicate that DRL is very closely related to Concanavalin A.     

Labeling of soybean agglutinin by oxidation with sodium periodate followed by reduction with sodium [3-H]borohydride.

Periodate oxidation of soybean agglutinin, a glycoprotein lectin, resulted in destruction of up to 5 out of the 9 mannose residues present in each of its subunits (MW 30,000) without any loss of hemagglutinating activity. The oxidation did, however, abolish the interaction of soybean agglutinin with concanvalin A, as measured by quantitative precipitation. Reduction with sodium [3-H]borohydride of soybean agglutinin in which 4 out of 9 mannose residues per subunit were oxidized, afforded a radioactive product which retained full hemagglutinating activity and was indistinguishable from the native lectin by gel filtration, gel electrophoresis, and affinity chromatography. These results establish that the integrity of the carbohydrate side chain of soybean agglutinin is not essential for the biological activity of the lectin, and suggest a general method for the preparation of radioactive glycoprotein lectins.     

Isolation of cDNA clones coding for humoral lectin of silkworm, Bombyx mori, larvae.

In the hemolymph of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, lectin with hemagglutinating activity against sheep red blood cells increases at larval-larval ecdysis and at spinning stage (Suzuki and Natori, 1983) and is induced by infection with cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus. A Bombyx lectin polypeptide with molecular weight approx 280K is responsible for hemagglutinating activity, since antiserum raised against this polypeptide inhibited hemagglutinating activity. The site of synthesis of Bombyx lectin was determined by primary tissue cultures of fat body and hemocytes. A hemagglutinating activity assay demonstrated that hemocyte is responsible for the release of hemagglutinin into the culture medium. Isolation of cDNA clones coding for Bombyx lectin was carried out on the cDNA library prepared in an expression vector lambda gt11 starting with poly(A)+ RNA from spinning larval hemocytes. As a result of immunoscreening, several positive clones were obtained, and the cDNA clones were characterized.     

Detection of lectins in the nuclear matrix of nerve tissue cells

Lectins have been detected in the nuclear matrix of nerve tissue cells, and an extraction procedure for the protein fraction with lectin activity has been developed. The lectins are characterized by hemagglutinating activity that is inhibited by D-GlcNAc, D-Gal, Lac, and D-Glc. The existence of lectins with similar molecular masses (from 7 to 20 kD) in the nuclear matrix of calf and rat brain has been shown.     

A mannose-specific tetrameric lectin with mitogenic and antibacterial activities from the ovary of a teleost,the cobia (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rachycentron canadum</Emphasis>)

A tetrameric lectin, with hemagglutinating activity toward rabbit erythrocytes and with specificity toward d-mannosamine and d(+)-mannose, was isolated from the ovaries of a teleost, the cobia Rachycentron canadum. The isolation protocol comprised ion exchange chromatography on CM-cellulose and Q-Sepharose, ion exchange chromatography by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on Mono Q, and finally gel filtration by FPLC on Superose 12. The lectin was adsorbed on all ion exchangers used. It exhibited a molecular mass of 180 kDa in gel filtration on Superose 12 and a single 45-kDa band in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating that it is a tetrameric protein. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was stable up to 40°C and between pH 4 and pH 10. All hemagglutinating activity disappeared at 60°C and at pH 1 and pH 13. The hemagglutinating activity was doubled in the presence of 0.1 μM FeCl₃. The lectin exerted antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli with 50% inhibition at 250 μg. There was no antifungal activity toward Coprinus comatus, Fusarium oxysporum, Mycosphaerella arachidicola, and Rhizoctonia solani at a dose of 300 μg. The lectin exhibited maximal mitogenic response from mouse splenocytes at a concentration of 14 μM.     

孔石莼(Ulva pertusa)凝集素的分离纯化及性质的研究

为抑制肿瘤细胞增殖和防治有关病害提供基础理论依据 ,将孔石莼 (Ulva pertusa)经磷酸盐缓冲液抽提 ,2 0 %～ 75%硫酸铵分级沉淀 ,牛甲状腺球蛋白 - Sepharose4B亲和层析 ,可以从绿藻孔石莼中纯化出孔石莼凝集素 (UPL) ,在 PAGE上显示单一蛋白染色带 ,在等电聚焦电泳上显示单一蛋白染色带 ,其 p I为 8.40 .纯化后的 UPL的最大紫外吸收峰在 2 85nm,用 Sephadex G- 2 0 0分子筛层析测得其分子量为 1 1 0 4 7.该凝集素可以凝集人的 A、B、AB、O型红细胞 ,且凝集活性相同 ,在对人 (A、B、AB、O)兔、鲤、鲫的红细胞的凝集作用中 ,兔的凝集作用最强 .该凝集素凝集兔红细胞的作用不被 D-半乳糖、D-果糖、葡萄糖、蔗糖、甘露聚糖、γ球蛋白、卵清蛋白所抑制 ,仅被牛甲状腺球蛋白抑制 ,最小抑制浓度为 6.2 0 g/L.该凝集素在 p H4.0～ 1 0 .1 4范围内均有活性 ,但在p H6.50～ 9.51范围内活性较高 ,该凝集活性在 85℃加热 1 h,活力仍未改变 ,说明具有很强的耐热性 .     

Effect of raw winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC] tuber lectin on gastrointestinal tract of growing rats

The fraction containing high hemagglutinating activity was prepared from raw winged bean tubers and orally administered to growing rats. The food intake and body weights of these rats decreased as the level of lectin increased and significant lectin activity was detected in the faeces extracted from these rats which is anti-genically similar to the native lectin preparation. Microscopic examination has revealed morphological changes in the intestinal epithelial cells. The binding action of the lectin to the mucosal epithelia of the gastrointestinal tract is indicative of the deleterious effects caused by the winged bean tuber lectin.     

Isolation of a seed coagulant Moringa oleifera lectin

In this work hemagglutinating activity (HA) was investigated in distinct Moringa oleifera tissue extracts. A new lectin from seeds (cMoL) was purified and characterized; hemagglutinating and coagulating activities were evaluated. HA was detected in 0.15 M NaCl extracts from flowers and rachis inflorescence (5%, w/v), seeds, leaves, fundamental tissue of stem and steam bark (10%, w/v). cMoL isolated after saline extraction and guar gel column chromatography was active at pH range 4.0–9.0 agglutinating erythrocytes from rabbit and human blood types. Extracts of tissues and cMoL activities were carbohydrate inhibited; azocasein and asialofetuin abolished cMoL HA. The lectin was thermostable at 100 °C during 7 h. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reduced conditions revealed a main polypeptide band of 26.5 kDa; native basic cMoL was detected as a unique band. Seed lectin preparations and cMoL showed coagulant activity, similar to aluminium sulphate, the coagulant most widely used in water treatment.     

Characterization, occurrence, and molecular cloning of a lectin from Grifola frondosa: jacalin-related lectin of fungal origin

A lectin named GFL was isolated from the fruiting body of the basidiomycete mushroom Grifola frondosa, which belongs to Aphyllophorales. The lectin had a molecular mass of 24 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The hemagglutinating activity of GFL was not inhibited by any monosaccharide, and inhibited only by porcine stomach mucin so far as tested. The occurrence of GFL was studied at three stages during fruiting body formation. The largest quantity of hemagglutinating activity was found in the fruiting body, and lesser amounts in the mycelial mat and the primordium. The 24-kDa band of GFL was found at all three stages, and the band-intensity corresponded to the level of activity in each sample. By cloning and sequencing the GFL-cDNA, the primary structure of this lectin was determined. GFL is composed of 181 amino acids, having no signal peptide. The amino acid sequence was found to be homologous to those of so-called jacalin-related plant lectins, suggesting that GFL is the first example of a jacalin-related lectin of fungal origin.     

从大白芸豆种子中分离与表征一种新型凝集素WKBL

从大白芸豆种子中,经过缓冲液抽提、硫酸铵沉降、蓝胶亲和色谱(AF-Blue HC-650M) 、离子交换色谱(CM-Sephadex C-25)、凝胶过滤色谱(Sephadex G-50)等步骤,分离纯化了一种具有一定抗真菌活性和抗肿瘤活性的凝集素,命名为WKBL.经SDS-PAGE显示, WKBL分子量为25 kD,N端序列为DAVLYRGPGDLHTGS,过碘酸-雪夫染色(PAS)呈红色. 凝血活性实验显示, WKBL凝血效果明显,但只有在60 ℃以下才具有凝血活性,而pH 对其活性影响并不大. D-半乳糖、D-果糖、D-葡萄糖、甘露醇能抑制WKBL的活性.WKBL为金属依赖型凝集素,LiCl、SnCl2和K2Cr2O7能抑制WKBL活性,但CaCl2、BaCl2、ZnCl2、CuCl2、FeCl3和MgCl2对WKBL活性却无影响.WKBL对白血病细胞K562的生长显示出较强的抑制作用,其IC50为15 μmol/L,对HeLa细胞呈现抑制作用,对HepG2细胞的抑制作用不明显. 抑菌实验显示, WKBL对瓜果腐霉病菌(Pythium aphanidermatum)、苹果轮纹病菌(Physalospora piricola)、甜瓜枯萎病菌(Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.nelonis)和葡萄灰霉病菌(Botrytis cinerea)呈现出一定的抑制,但是其抑制率对浓度的依赖性并不高.     

Lectin activity in pollen from plants representative of thirty orders of spermatophyta

Summary Pollen extracts from a variety of species representative of thirty orders of spermatophyta, including gymnosperms, dicotyledons and monocotyledons, were examined for the presence of lectin activity by means of a hemagglutination assay. Hemagglutinating activity (HA) was detected in the pollen extracts of all the species examined, indicating that lectins are generally present in the pollen of spermatophyta. The response of this pollen hemagglutinating activity to the sugars and glycoproteins tested as potential inhibitors was identical in all species examined. Moreover, the hemagglutinating activity of pollen extracts from eight species which had been selected as representative of the gymnosperms and both subclasses of angiosperms exhibited similar properties (e.g. distribution by differential centrifugation, stability to heat, response to bivalent ions). The bulk of the hemagglutinating activity was always recovered in the pellet after centrifugation at 1000 g for 5 min. Although sequential treatments with 1% Triton X-100 and 1 M KCl were ineffective, subsequent incubation of the pellet with saline phosphate buffer released hemagglutinating activity. The solubilized hemagglutinating activity was destroyed by protease treatment, indicating that the substance(s) responsible for the activity is (are) protein in nature and, consequently, might be considered to be a lectin. The sugar specifity of the pollen lectin activity from wheat, potato and bean was compared with that of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), potato agglutinin and bean agglutinin — the lectins present in sporophytic tissues of these plants. For all three plants, the response of the pollen lectin activity to sugars and glycoproteins was different from that shown by the lectin from sporophytic tissues.Abbreviations HA Hemagglutinating activity - PBS 150 mM Na-phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) containing 0.9% NaCl - PHA Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin - STA Solanum tuberosum agglutinin - WGA wheat germ agglutinin     

林生山黧豆谷氨酸脱羧酶的分离纯化及部分性质的研究

以林生山黧豆为材料,利用硫酸按分段盐析,丙酮沉淀,DEAE-SepharoseFF离子交换柱层析,SephacrylS300凝胶过滤柱层析及FPLC-MonoQ柱层析技术,以聚酰胺薄膜层析荧光定量法为酶活力检测手段,分离纯化了谷氨酸脱羧酶,达到电泳银染纯．纯化后的林生山黧豆谷氨酸脱羧酶活力达375．09U·mp-1,纯化倍数38．2倍,经SDS-PAGE测定,其亚基分子量为70kD,经梯度PAGE确定,天然分子量为140kD,表明该酶是由两个亚基组成的二聚体．酶学研究表明,纯化的林生山黧豆谷氨酸脱羧酶的最适pH值为5．4,对谷氨酸的Km值为1．62×10-3mol·L-1,酶的最适温度为40℃,酶特异性地使谷氨酸脱羧,不能使天门冬氨酸等其它氨基酸脱羧．     

A novel lectin from the wild mushroom Polyporus adusta

A lectin with antiproliferative activity toward tumor cell lines and mitogenic activity toward splenocytes was isolated from the mushroom Polyporus adusta. The lectin was composed of two identical subunits each with a molecular weight of 12 kDa. It was adsorbed on both DEAE-cellulose and Q-Sepharose and unadsorbed on CM-Sepharose. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was inhibited by turanose and by a large variety of other carbohydrates. It was adversely affected in the presence of NaOH or HCl at a concentration of 7.5mM and above, and when the ambient temperature was raised above 70 degrees C. All divalent and trivalent metallic chlorides tested at 1.25-10mM including CaCl(2), MgCl(2), ZnCl(2), MnCl(2), and AlCl(3), did not alter the hemagglutinating activity of the lectin. FeCl(3) at 10mM caused the hemagglutinating activity to increase by 100%, but it did not change the lectin activity when tested at lower concentrations up to 5mM.     

Purification of a Sperm Lectin Extracted from Spermatozoa of the Sea Urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus

Hemagglutinating activity for human type A erythrocytes was detected in a sperm extract obtained by treatment with Triton X-100 of spermatozoa from the sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. Among tested sugars only N-acetyl-D-galactosamine had any inhibitory effect on the hemagglutinating activity of the sperm extract. The lectin was purified by a combination of affinity chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. A single band was obtained after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified lectin, corresponding to an apparent molecular weight of 15,000 daltons. Trypsin-generated fragments of the surface of eggs significantly inhibited hemagglutination of erythrocytes by the purified lectin. The biological role of the sperm lectin is discussed.     

Purification,characterization and induction of a C-type lectin in the freshwater planarian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dugesia japonica</Emphasis>

Lectins are important components of the immune defense system of invertebrates. Given their important functions, numerous investigations have been carried out on the characterization and function of lectins in invertebrates. However, lectin studies with the freshwater planarian, an evolutionarily important animal, are rare. In this paper, we demonstrate agglutination of glutaraldehyde treated erythrocytes by a lectin with preference for rabbit erythrocytes. The result of hemagglutinating activity inhibition assays with several carbohydrates showed the most potent inhibitor was maltose. A natural lectin from the crude homogenates of freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica was purified by single step affinity chromatography using amylose-coupled agarose. The purified protein appeared as one band with a molecular mass of 350 kDa in PAGE, and as one band, approximately 56 kDa, in SDS-PAGE. The purified lectin showed dependence on calcium. The activity of the purified lectin was inhibited at temperatures greater than 50°C and showed a pH optimum between 5–8. The purified lectin also has binding activity to the Gram-negative bacteria E. coli, and the Gram-positive bacteria B. subtilis. Furthermore, the purified lectin obtained from injured and bacteria-induced planarians showed increased agglutinating activity against rabbit erythrocytes. These results suggest that the purified lectin may play an important role in the innate immunity of the freshwater planarian.