Purification and partial characterization of seed lectins from Vicias belonging to subgenus Vicilla section cracca

Publication date: Available online 4 April 2019Source: Biocatalysis and Agricultural BiotechnologyAuthor(s): Cristina Megias, Isabel Cortés-Giraldo, Julio Giron-Calle, Manuel Alaiz, Javier VioqueAbstractLectins from the seeds of ten Vicias belonging to section Cracca (V. benghalensis, V. dasycarpa, V. monantha, V. villosa, V. cracca, V. vicioides, V. pseudocracca, V. disperma, V. tenuifolia and V. monardii) have been purified by ultrafiltration and gel filtration chromatography, and characterized. All lectins belonged to the single-chain legume lectin group, having four subunits with molecular weights around 35–40 kDa, and a native molecular weight around 160–170 kDa. A dendogram based on amino acid composition matched the grouping based on quaternary structure. Agglutination assays indicated that affinity for N-acetyl-galactosamine was more frequent than affinity for glucose. N-acetyl-galactosamine is abundant in animal proteins such as mucins, and is part of the Tn antigen that has been related with malignancy, metastasis and bad prognosis in cancer. Hence, lectins from these Vicia seeds may be of interest for targeting cancerous cells and other animal cells that expose N-acetyl-galactosamine in their glycocalix.
Source: Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology - Category: Biotechnology Source Type: research