Molecular character of the recombinant antitumor lectin from the edible mushroom Agrocybe aegerita

The lectin from Agrocybe aegerita (AAL) has been found to possess potent tumor-suppressing function and tumor cell apoptosis-inducing activity. In this paper, we report the full sequence, the active expression of the gene encoding AAL at a high level and bioassay of the binding property with lactose, apoptosis-inducing activity and DNase activity of recombinant AAL (rAAL). The results reveal that AAL is a member of the galectin family and the dimeric form is the active unit for the functional performance. The rAAL showed comparable tumor cell apoptosis-inducing activity with the wild AAL but no DNase activity at all. The molecular characters revealed by this study are significant for the in-depth investigation of the functional mechanism of this interesting protein.