Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-01T14:16:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1211143 bytes, checksum: 23a2b34a9ee3ee070ebfce58519b026d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Canavalia brasiliensis belongs to the family of Leguminosae and known as feijão-bravo-do-Ceará, it s a species from Americas. In Brazil it can be found in the North, Northeast, Midwest and Southeast. Many species of plant contain carbohydrate-binding proteins which are commonly called lectins or agglutinins which are distributed in virtually all living organisms. That study aimed to detect, purify and characterize physico-chemically a ConBr new lectin from extract of the seeds of C. brasiliensis and to evaluate its relationship with pathogenic bacteria and inflammatory processes. The lectin, with affinity for rabbit erythrocytes, was isolated by affinity chromatography on matrix Sephadex G-50 followed by chitin, and molecular exclusion in HPLC system. The purity and the molecular weight of the lectin were determined by SDS-PAGE. The protein was characterized as to the nature glycoprotein, the specific sugars and glycoproteins, resistance to pH, temperature, denaturing agents, reducing, oxidizing and chelating agents. The lectin on SDS-PAGE showed two bands of 25 and 45 kDa and a content of 47 μg of carbohydrates. It was specific for mannose, fructose and maltose. It was inactivated when heated to 90 °C and 100 °C for 10 minutes and at pH 5,0 and 13.0. It had reduced their activity in the presence of urea 4 and 8 M and sodium metaperiodate, and increased with β-mercaptoethanol. It s a metalloprotein which depend of Mg2+ for stabilizing its carbohydrate biding site. It didn t present activity against Bacillus subtilis ATCC 0516, Escherichia coli ATCC 10536, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 8027, P. aeruginosa ATCC 25619, Staphilococcus aureus ATCC 6538 e S. aureus ATCC 25925 and in the carrageenan-induced peritonitis model in mice, the lectin didn t have toxicity to animals and showed anti-inflammatory effect reducing the blood vessel permeability and migration of neutrophils in the peritoneum of mice. / Canavalia brasiliensis pertence à família Leguminosae e sendo conhecida como feijão-bravo-do-Ceará, é uma espécie predominante do Continente Americano. No Brasil pode ser encontrada nas regiões Norte, Nordeste, Centro-Oeste e Sudeste. Muitas espécies de plantas contêm proteínas de ligação a carboidratos as quais são comumente chamadas de lectinas ou aglutininas as quais são distribuídas em praticamente todos os organismos vivos. O referido trabalho objetivou detectar, purificar e caracterizar fisico-quimicamente uma nova lectina ConBr do extrato das sementes de C. brasiliensis e avaliar sua relação com bactérias patogênicas e processos inflamatórios. A lectina com afinidade por eritrócitos de coelho foi isolada através de cromatografia de afinidade em matriz de sephadex G-50 seguida de quitina; e exclusão molecular em sistema HPLC. O grau de pureza e o peso molecular da lectina foram determinados por eletroforese SDS-PAGE. A proteína foi caracterizada quanto à natureza glicoproteica, especificidade a açúcares e glicoproteínas, resistência ao pH, temperatura, agentes desnaturantes, redutores, oxidantes e quelantes. A lectina apresentou na SDS-PAGE duas bandas de 25 e 45 kDa e um teor de 47 μg de carboidratos. Foi específica para manose, frutose e maltose. Foi inativada quando aquecida a 90 °C e 100 °C durante 10 minutos e em pH 5,0 e 13,0. Teve sua atividade reduzida na presença de ureia 4 e 8 M e do metaperiodato de sódio; e aumentada com o β-mercaptoetanol; é uma etaloproteína dependente de Mg2+ para a estabilização do seu sítio de ligação a carboidratos. Não apresentou atividade frente às bactérias Bacillus subtilis ATCC 0516, Escherichia coli ATCC 10536, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 8027, P. aeruginosa ATCC 25619, Staphilococcus aureus ATCC 6538 e S. aureus ATCC 25925 e no modelo de peritonite induzido por carragenina em camundongos, a lectina não se mostrou tóxica para os animais e exibiu efeito antiinflamatório através da redução da permeabilidade dos vasos sanguíneos e da migração dos neutrófilos no peritôneo dos animais.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / Lectinas sÃo proteÃnas ubÃquas na natureza, de origem nÃo imune, que possuem ao menos um domÃnio nÃo catalÃtico que se liga de forma especÃfica e reversÃvel a carboidratos. Em vegetais estÃo distribuÃdas em folhas, caules e sementes. A tribo Dalbergieae apresenta lectinas que mostram especificidade por diferentes carboidratos e apresentam atividades biolÃgicas diversas como induÃÃo de edema em pata de rato, liberaÃÃo de mediadores quimiotÃticos por macrÃfagos, atividade vasorelaxante em aortas de ratos, dentre outras. Este trabalho teve como objetivo isolar, purificar e caracterizar fÃsico-quimicamente uma lectina presente em sementes de Andira pisonis (tribo Dalbergieae). Sementes de Andira pisonis foram trituradas atà obtenÃÃo de fino pà e as proteÃnas totais foram extraÃdas em sulfato de amÃnio 1M. As proteÃnas solÃveis foram submetidas a atividade hemaglutinante, quantificaÃÃo pelo mÃtodo de Bradford e ensaios de inibiÃÃo da atividade hemaglutinante. A lectina de sementes de Andira pisonis (APL) foi purificada atravÃs de cromatografia de afinidade em matriz de Sepharose-Manose, eluÃda em tampÃo glicina 0,1M pH 2,6 com NaCl 0,15M. A fraÃÃo eluÃda foi dialisada contra Ãgua destilada, liofilizada e submetida a cromatografia de troca iÃnica em HiTrap SP XL 01. APL foi eluÃda com tampÃo acetato de sÃdio 20mM pH 4,5 em gradiente de NaCl 0-1M. APL hemaglutinou eritrÃcitos de coelho (tratados enzimaticamente), assim como outras lectinas da tribo Dalbergieae e apresentou especificidade por manose (25mM). AnÃlise em PAGE-SDS mostrou que APL à composta por uma banda de 34 kDA e uma dupla banda de 8 e 9 kDA. APL apresentou termoestabilidade atà 60ÂC. SÃo necessÃrios mais estudos de caracterizaÃÃo fÃsico-quÃmica para melhor caracterizar esta proteÃna. / Lectins are ubiquitous proteins in nature, of non-immune origin, which have at least one non-catalytic domain that binds carbohydrates specifically and reversibly. They can be found in vegetables leaves, stems and seeds. The Dalbergieae tribe has lectins which have specificity for different carbohydrates and also have several biological activities such as induction of rat paw edema, release of chemotactic mediators by macrophages, vasorelaxant effect in rat aortas, and others. This study aimed to isolate, purify and physiochemically characterize a lectin found in seeds of Andira pisonis (Dalbergieae tribe). Andira pisonis seeds were ground into a fine powder and subjected to total protein extraction in 1 M ammonium sulfate. Soluble proteins were subjected to hemagglutination activity, quantification by the Bradford method and essays of hemagglutination inibition activity by sugar. The lectin from Andira pisonis (APL) was purified by affinity chromatography on Sepharose- Mannose matrix eluted in 0.1 M glycine buffer pH 2.6 with 0.15 M NaCl. The eluted fraction was dialyzed against distilled water, lyophilized and subjected to ion exchange chromatography on HiTrap SP XL 01. APL was eluted on 20 mM sodium acetate buffer pH 4.5 gradient of 0-1M NaCl. APL hemagglutinated rabbit erythrocytes (enzymatically treated) and other lectins from the tribe Dalbergieae and showed specificity for mannose (25 mM). SDS-PAGE analysis showed that APL is composed of a major 34 kDa double band and a minor 8 and 9 kDa double band. APL showed thermostability at 60 C. Further studies are required in order to better physicochemically characterize this protein.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O trauma tecidual à seguido por uma cascata de eventos celulares e bioquÃmicos que resulta na formaÃÃo da ferida cicatrizada. Este processo pode ser dividido em trÃs fases: inflamaÃÃo, proliferaÃÃo e remodelaÃÃo. Lectinas sÃo (glico) proteÃnas que podem reconhecer e se ligar reversivelmente a carboidratos ou a outras substÃncias derivadas de aÃÃcares. Cratylia floribunda à uma espÃcie de leguminosa, encontrada exclusivamente na AmÃrica do sul da qual foi isolada a lectina de Cratylia floribunda (CFL). O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar os efeitos do tratamento tÃpico diÃrio com a CFL em um modelo de cicatrizaÃÃo de lesÃes cutÃneas em camundongos. Feridas cirÃrgicas (1cm2) foram produzidas sob condiÃÃes assÃpticas na regiÃo dorsal de camundongos Swiss albinos (27-33g, n= 23/grupo), sendo estes posteriormente randomizados em dois grupo experimentais de acordo com o tipo de tratamento estabelecido: grupo C (soluÃÃo salina) ou grupo CFL (100 Âg/mL). As feridas foram tratadas diariamente com 100 &#956;L de cada soluÃÃo durante todo o perÃodo pÃs-operatÃrio (PO). As lesÃes cutÃneas foram submetidas à avaliaÃÃes clÃnicas diÃrias durante 12 dias, onde investigou-se parÃmetros macroscÃpicos relacionados à fase inflamatÃria e de fibroplasia. Os fragmentos de pele retirados nos dias de biÃpsia (2o, 7o e 12o dias PO) foram processados e analisados histopatologicamente. Paralelamente, verificou-se a capacidade da lectina em induzir a liberaÃÃo de citocinas prÃ-inflamatÃrias (TNF-&#945;) por macrÃfagos in vitro. CFL reduziu a frequÃncia, intensidade e a duraÃÃo dos sinais flogÃsticos edema e hiperemia. No 10 e 11 dias PO a presenÃa de crosta nas feridas do grupo tratado com a lectina foi significativamente menor (p<0,05) que no grupo controle. CFL antecipou a formaÃÃo do tecido de granulaÃÃo, sendo este visualizado em maior percentual das lesÃes cutÃneas. O grupo CFL apresentou um maior percentual de contraÃÃo das Ãreas das lesÃes desde os primeiros dias de tratamento e se manteve atà o 12 dia PO (p<0,05). As maiores diferenÃas entre os percentuais de contraÃÃo das lesÃes entre os grupos ocorreram no 1 dia PO (diferenÃa de 22,5%) e no 5 dia PO (diferenÃa de 20,5%). As Ãreas compreendidas pelas curvas (ASC) de evoluÃÃo em ambos os grupos demonstrou diferenÃa estatÃstica entre os grupos (C - 6,27  0,85; CFL - 4,00  1,28, p<0.05). Em relaÃÃo ao grupo C, CFL apresentou de forma significativa (p<0,05) um maior percentual de animais com feridas cicatrizadas no 10 e 11 dia de PO. O tratamento com a lectina antecipou o surgimento de tecido cicatricial, sendo estatisticamente significante (p<0,05) a frequÃncia com que este foi observado no 6 e 8 dia PO. As anÃlises histopatolÃgicas mostraram que o tratamento com a CFL favoreceu a resoluÃÃo da fase inflamatÃria. AlÃm disso, a fase proliferativa foi antecipada no grupo CFL, sendo este aspecto evidenciado pela presenÃa de um tecido de granulaÃÃo fibroso desde o 7 dia de PO, enquanto que no mesmo perÃodo, as lesÃes do grupo C apresentavam uma formaÃÃo inicial deste tecido. No 12 de PO foi observado uma completa reepitelizaÃÃo das lesÃes tratadas com CFL, enquanto que no grupo C um tecido de granulaÃÃo sendo ainda invadido por fibras colÃgenas. CFL in vitro estimulou a liberaÃÃo de TNF- &#945; em cultura de macrÃfagos peritoneais de camundongos. Esses resultados mostram que a lectina de Cratylia floribunda modula a fase inflamatÃria do processo cicatricial de lesÃes cutÃneas em camundongos. Hipotetizamos que in vivo a lectina estimula cÃlulas residentes (macrÃfagos) a liberaÃÃo de TNF-&#945;. Em conjunto, esses resultados revelam que a CFL favorece o reparo de lesÃes. / The tissue injury evokes a physiological process of complex cellular and biochemical events that results in wound healing. This process can be divided into three phases: inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. Lectins are (glyco)proteins that can recognize and reversibly bind to carbohydrates or other substances derived from sugars. Cratylia floribunda is a leguminous species, found only in South America, from which was isolated Cratylia floribunda lectin (CFL). The aim of this work was to evaluate the topical treatment of cutaneous wounds using CFL at a cicatricial model. Surgical wounds (1cm2) were produced aseptically in the dorsal region of male Swiss mice (27-33g; n=23/group), which were randomized in two experimental groups according to the treatment set: C (150 mM NaCl) or CFL (100 Âg/mL). Wounds were treated topically, daily, with 100 ÂL from each solution throughout all the post-operative period (PO). Clinical evaluation of the skin lesions was performed along 12 days and the parameters investigated were some macroscopic signals of inflammation and fibroplasia. Cutaneous biopsies have been carried out at 2nd, 7th and 12th PO to histopathological analysis. In parallel, the ability of the lectin to induce the in vitro macrophage release of TNF-&#945;, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, was evaluated. CFL reduced the frequency, intensity and duration of some flogistics signals, such as edema and hiperemy. At 10th and 11th PO the wounds treated with CFL had significantly less crust (p <0.05) than the lesions of the C group. CFL anticipated the formation of granulation tissue, being displayed in a greater percentage of skin lesions. The CFL group injuries presented a higher percentage of area contraction at the firsts day of treatment and this effect remained until the 12th PO (p<0,05). The major differences of the area contraction between the groups occurred at 1st PO (22.5%) and 5th PO (20.5%). CFL group showed a statistically lower area under the curve (AUC) of the area measures than the C group (C-6,27Â0,85; CFL- 4,00Â1,28, p<0.05). Compared to control group, CFL group showed a significant (p <0.05) percentual of animals with healed wounds at 10th and 11th PO. Treatment with the lectin anticipated the appearance of the cicatricial tissue, being statistically significant (p <0.05) the frequence that it was observed at 6th and 8th day PO. The histopathological analyses revealed that the treatment with CFL diminished the inflammatory phase of the wound healing. Moreover, the proliferation phase was anticipated in CFL group, since there was a fibrous granulation tissue since 7th PO on the lesions treated with CFL, while, at the same period in the C group lesions, there was an initial formation of the granulation tissue. At 12th PO, it was observed a complete reepithelization of the lesions treated with CFL, while, in C group lesions, there was a few collagen fibers among the granulation tissue. CFL stimulated the in vitro release of TNF-&#945; in peritoneal macrophages culture of mice. Those results show that Cratylia floribunda lectin modulates the inflammatory phase of the cicatricial process from cutaneous lesions in mice. We postulate that in in vivo the lectin stimulates resident cells (macrophages) for liberation of TNF-&#945;. Together, those results reveal that CFL favors the repair of lesions.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Lectins are non-immune (glyco)proteins that can recognize and reversibly bind to carbohydrates or other substances derived from sugars. Lonchocarpus sericeus seeds (LSL) shows a molecular mass of 23555  15 Da and a a-metyl glucopyranoside and N-acetyl-glucosamine binding specificity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antinoceptive and antiinflammatory activity of lectin from Lonchocarpus sericeus seeds (LSL). To do so, we used swiss mice (25-35g). In the antiinflammatory activity studying, LSL (10 or 100 mg/kg; i.v.; 15 minutes) inhibited the migration (neutrophil rolling and adhesion) to the peritoneal cavities of animals stimulated with carrageenan (Cg), and the effect seems to be related to the cytokines (TNF-a and IL-1b) and chemokines (MIP-1a [CCL3], KC [CXCL1]) level reduction induced by this lectin. The LSL inhibitory effect on the neutrophil migration seems to be also related to the nitric oxide (NO) systemic levels increasing. LSL was effective on the NO increasing on animalsâ serum. The pretreatment of mice using aminoguanidin (nitric oxide reduced synthase inhibitor) reversed the antiinflammatory effect of lectin on the neutrophil migration. Still referring to the anti-inflammatory activity, LSL was effective on inhibiting the neutrophil migration to the peritoneal cavities of animals immunized and stimulated with ovalbumin (OVA), but the lectin was unable to inhibit an in vitro neutrophil migration induced by MIP-2, showing an indirect action of LSL (cytokines and chemokines) on the migration inhibition. In the antinoceptive study, LSL (3 or 10 mg/kg; i.v.; 30 minutes) reduced abdominal contortion induced by acetic acid and only decreased the second phase of formalin test, showing an activity on the inflammatory pain. In the hot plate test LSL didnât show any effects. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory pain, we did a study based on the anthihypernociceptive activity. Thus, LSL (10 or 100 mg/kg; i.v.; 15 minutes) inhibited the mechanical hypernociception induced by carrageenan and ovalbumin (immunized animals) intraplantarly administration, but not induced by prostaglandin E2. (PGE2). This effect was correlated to the block of neutrophil influx, suggested by the reduction of myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels on animalâs paws pretreated with LSL (3 or 10 mg/kg; i.v.; 15 minutes) and stimulated with carregeenan. This antihyperalgesic effect seems to be highly dependent of the cytokines (TNF-a and IL-1b) and chemokines (MIP-1a [CCL3], KC [CXCL1]) level decreasing, since LSL (10 or 100 mg/kg; i.v.; 15 minutes) reduced these mediatorsâ levels on animalâs paws pretreated with Cg (intraplantar). Corresponding to the possible central activity, LSL (10 mg/kg; i.v.) did not alter the motor activity and not provoked depression on animals. LSL acute toxicity was evaluated by treating the rats with LSL (10 mg/kg; i.v.) during seven days analyzing several parameters of the animals: kidney functions (wet weight, urea dosage), liver functions (wet weight, kinetic evaluation of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase), heart (wet weight) stomach (wet weight and visual evaluation of possible lesions), variation in body weight of treated animals and leukogram. The obtained results didnât show any alteration on the evaluated parameters suggesting that LSL doesnât show any toxicity on animals. In conclusion, the antinoceptive and antihyperalgesic activity of LSL are associated to the inhibition of the neutrophil migration; it is probably a reflection of an inhibition on cytokines and chemokines free flowing and for the increasing of NO free flow. Additionally, this lectin doesnât show acute toxicity and central effects / Lectinas sÃo (glico)proteÃnas de origem nÃo imune e que podem reconhecer e se ligar reversivelmente a carboidratos ou a outras substÃncias derivadas de aÃÃcares. A lectina de sementes de Lonchocarpus sericeus (LSL) apresenta massa molecular aparente de 23555  15 Da e especificidade de ligaÃÃo a N-acetil-glicosamina e &#945; -metil-glicopiranosÃdeo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a atividade antiinflamatÃria e antinociceptiva da Lectina de sementes de Lonchocarpus sericeus (LSL). Para tal, utilizamos camundongos Swiss albinos (25-35g). No estudo da atividade antiinflamatÃria, LSL (3 ou 10 mg/kg; e.v.; 15 minutos) inibiu a migraÃÃo (rolamento e adesÃo de neutrÃfilos) para a cavidade abdominal de animais estimulados com carragenina (Cg), e este efeito parece estar relacionado com a reduÃÃo dos nÃveis de citocinas (TNF-&#945; and IL-1&#946;) e quimiocinas (MIP-1&#945; [CCL3], KC [CXCL1]) por esta lectina. O efeito inibitÃrio da LSL sobre a migraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos, parece tambÃm envolver o aumento nos nÃveis sistÃmicos de Ãxido nÃtrico (NO), pois LSL (10 mg/kg; e.v.) foi capaz de aumentar os nÃveis de NO no soro de animais, e o prÃ-tratamento de camundongos com aminoguanidina (inibidor da Ãxido nÃtrico sintase induzida) foi capaz de reverter o efeito aniinflamatÃrio desta lectina sobre a migraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos. Ainda em relaÃÃo à atividade antiinflamatÃria, LSL foi capaz de inibir a migraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos para a cavidade peritoneal de animais imunizados e estimulados com ovoalbumina (OVA), porÃm, esta mesma lectina foi ineficaz em inibir a migraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos in vitro estimulada por MIP-2, demonstrando entÃo um papel indireto da LSL (reduÃÃo de citocinas e quimiocinas) na inibiÃÃo da migraÃÃo. No estudo da atividade antinociceptiva, LSL (10 ou 100 mg/kg; e.v.; 15 minutos) reduziu as contorÃÃes abdominais induzidas por Ãcido acÃtico e diminuiu somente a segunda fase do teste da formalina, demostrando uma atividade sobre a dor inflamatÃria. No teste da placa quente, LSL nÃo apresentou efeito. Para avaliar a dor inflamatÃria realizaram-se estudos de atividade antihipernociceptiva. Assim, LSL (3 ou 10 mg/kg; e.v.; 15 minutos) inibiu a hipernocicepÃÃo mecÃnica induzida por administraÃÃo intraplantar de carragenina e ovalbumina (animais imunizados) mas nÃo a induzida por prostaglandina E2 (PGE2). Este efeito foi correlacionado ao bloqueio do influxo de neutrÃfilos, sugerido pela reduÃÃo dos nÃveis de mieloperoxidase (MPO) nas patas de animais prÃ-tratados com LSL (3 ou 10 mg/kg; e.v.; 15 minutos) e estimulados com carragenina. Este efeito antihiperalgÃsico parece tambÃm depender da reduÃÃo dos nÃveis de citocinas (TNF-&#945; and IL-1&#946;) e quimiocinas (MIP-1&#945; [CCL3], KC [CXCL1]), uma vez que LSL (3 ou 10 mg/kg; e.v.; 15 minutos) reduziu os nÃveis destes mediadores no tecido da pata de animais estimulados com Cg (intraplantar). Em relaÃÃo a uma possÃvel atividade central, LSL (10 mg/kg; e.v.) nÃo alterou a atividade motora e nem provocou depressÃo nos animais. A toxicidade aguda foi avaliada pelo tratamento de camundongos com LSL (10 mg/kg; e.v.), durante sete dias consecutivos, atravÃs de vÃrios parÃmetros: funÃÃes do rim (peso Ãmido, dosagem de urÃia) e do fÃgado (peso Ãmido, avaliaÃÃo da cinÃtica da aspartato amino transaminase e alanina amino transaminase), coraÃÃo (peso Ãmido), estÃmago (peso Ãmido e avaliaÃÃo visual de possÃveis lesÃes), variaÃÃo de massa corporal dos animais tratados e leucograma. Os resultados obtidos nÃo mostraram qualquer alteraÃÃo dos parÃmetros avaliados, demonstrando que a LSL nÃo apresenta nenhuma toxicidade nos animais. Em conclusÃo, a atividade antiinflamatÃria e antinociceptiva da LSL està associada com a inibiÃÃo da migraÃÃo de neutrÃfilos, que provavelmete à reflexo da inibiÃÃo da liberaÃÃo de citocinas e quimiocinas e do aumento na liberaÃÃo de NO. Adicionalmente, esta lectina nÃo apresenta efeitos centrais nem toxicidade aguda

Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins that recognize free or conjugated carbohydrates, reversibly binding to them. Lectins participate in several events of the immune system of plants and animals and assisting in the process of cell adhesion and recognition. Schinus terebinthifolius belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, which is resistant to various types of insect injury. This work aimed at the isolation and characterization of a new lectin from the shell of S. terebinthifolius (SteBL). The bark extract (20%, w/v) was prepared in 0.15 M NaCl solution for 16 h at 4°C. The extract was treated with ammonium sulfate in different concentrations (0-20%, 20-40%, 40-60% and 60-80%). The hemagglutinating activity (HA) of the fractions were evaluated with rabbit erythrocyte suspension 2.5% (m/v). Subsequently, the supernatant fraction – FS 40%, which presented the highest specific activity, was subjected to chitin matrix affinity chromatography, where about 125 μg of protein was applied on a chitin column equilibrated with 0.15 M NaCl. showed HA were eluted with 1.0 M acetic acid. The chromatographic profile of the chitin column showed an active protein peak (SHA: 65536) after elution with 1.0 M acetic acid (0.0625 mg protein). Then the partially isolated SteBL was characterized as the effect of temperature (30-100 ° C), pH (3-10), divalent cations (Ca2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+) on. The same preparation was also evaluated on polyacrylamide gel (10% w/v) under denaturing conditions in the presence and absence of 2-Mercaptoethanol. N-acetylglucosamine and lactose carbohydrates showed inhibition, expressing a reduction of about 75% and 99%. , SteBL HA was partially isolated and showed a thermal stability over a wide temperature range with a maximum activity at 50 ° C (SHA: 131.072) and pH 5 (SHA: 131.072) and ionindependent. In order to completely isolate SteBL, a new extract from the bark of the mastic was prepared in 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer pH 8.0 (20%, w/v), where it was filtered on activated charcoal and subjected to chitin matrix affinity chromatography followed by anion exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sepharose), where it was possible to isolate a peptide of about 24 kDa. / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / As lectinas são proteínas ou glicoproteínas que reconhecem carboidratos livres ou conjugados, ligando-se reversivelmente a eles. Lectinas possuem diversas funções e aplicações biotecnológicas tais como atividade antimicrobiana, inseticida, imunomoduladora, cicatrizante, antitumoral, dentre outras. Schinus terebinthifolius (Aroeira-da-praia) pertence à família Anacardiaceae, apresenta resistência contra vários tipos de lesões causadas por insetos. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo o isolamento e a caracterização de uma nova lectina da casca de S. terebinthifolius (SteBL). O extrato da casca (20%, p/v) foi preparado em solução de NaCl 0,15 M por 16 h a 4 ºC. O extrato foi tratado com sulfato de amônio em diferentes concentrações (0-20%, 20-40%, 40-60% e 60-80%). A atividade hemaglutinante (AH) das frações foram avaliadas com suspensão de eritrócitos de coelho 2,5% (m/v). Posteriormente, a fração sobrenadante - FS40%, que apresentou maior atividade específica, foi submetida a cromatografia de afinidade em matriz de quitina, onde foi aplicado cerca de 125 μg de proteína numa coluna de quitina equilibrada com NaCl 0,15 M. As amostras que apresentaram AH foram eluídas com ácido acético 1,0 M. O perfil cromatográfico da coluna de quitina mostrou um pico de proteína ativo (AHE: 65.536) após eluição com ácido acético 1,0 M (0,0625 mg de proteína). Em seguida a SteBL parcialmente isolada foi caracterizada quanto ao efeito da temperatura (30-100°C), pH (3-10), cátions divalentes (Ca2+, Mn2+ e Zn2+) na AH. Também a mesma preparação foi avaliada em gel de poliacrilamida (10% (p/v) em condições desnaturantes na presença e ausência de 2-Mercaptoetanol. Os carboidratos N-acetilglucosamina e lactose apresentaram inibição, expressando uma redução de cerca de 75 % e 99,97% respectivamente da HA da SteBL parcialmente isolada. A SteBL parcialmente purificada apresentou estabilidade térmica em uma ampla faixa de temperatura com uma atividade máxima a 50 ° C (AHE: 131.072) e pH 5 (AHE: 131.072) e íonindependente. Com a finalidade de isolar totalmente a SteBL, um novo extrato da casca da aroeira foi preparado em solução tampão Tris-HCl 50 Mm pH 8,0, onde o mesmo foi filtrado em carvão ativado e submetido a cromatografia por afinidade em matriz de quitina seguida por cromatografia de troca aniônica – DEAE-Sepharose, onde foi possível o isolamento de um peptídeo de cerca de 24 kDa.

No / The influence of surfactants on the stability of cyclodextrin (CD) Pickering emulsions is not well understood. In this study, we report two-way effects of Tween 80 and soybean lecithin (PL) on the long term stability of Pickering emulsions stabilized by the self-assembled microcrystals of alpha-CD and medium chain triglycerides (MCT). The CD emulsions in the absence and presence of Tween 80 or PL at different concentrations were prepared and characterized by the droplet size, viscosity, contact angle, interfacial tension and residual emulsion values. After adding Tween 80 and PL, similar effects on the size distribution and contact angle were observed. However, changes of viscosity and interfacial tension were significantly different and two-way effects on the stability were found: (i) synergistic enhancement by Tween 80; (ii) inhibition at low and enhancement at high concentrations by PL. The stability enhancement of Tween 80 was due to the interfacial tension decrease caused by the interaction of Tween 80 with CD at the o/w interface at lower concentrations, and significant viscosity increase caused by the Tween 80-CD assembly in the continuous phase. For PL at low concentrations, the replacement of alpha-CD/MCT by alpha-CD/PL particles at the o/w interface was observed, leading to inhibitory effects. High concentrations of PL resulted in an extremely low interfacial tension and stable emulsion. In conclusion, the extensive inclusion of surfactants by CD leads to their unique effects on the stability of CD emulsions, for which the changes of viscosity and interfacial tension caused by host-guest interactions play important roles.

Ho, Sai Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-164). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.ii / ABSTRACT --- p.xii / 撮要 --- p.xv / LIST OF ABBREIVIATIONS --- p.xvi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.xvii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xix / Chapter Chapter 1 --- General Introduction / Chapter 1.1 --- Overview of lectins --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- History of lectins --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Definitions of lectins --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Classification and nomenclature of lectins based on structure --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Classification and nomenclature of lectins based on carbohydrate-bindingspecificity --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.5 --- Structure of plant lectins --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.6 --- Biological function of plant lectins --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.6.1 --- Anti-viral activity of plant lectiins --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.6.2 --- Lectins as plant defense proteins --- p.6 / Chapter 1.1.6.3 --- Insecticidal activity of plant lectins --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1.6.4 --- Anti-fungal activity of plant lectins --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1.6.5 --- Mitogenic activity of plant lectins --- p.7 / Chapter 1.1.6.6 --- Anti-tumor and anti-proliferative activity of plant lectins --- p.9 / Chapter 1.1.7 --- Background of legume lectins --- p.11 / Chapter 1.1.7.1 --- Structure of legume lectins --- p.11 / Chapter 1.1.7.2 --- Functions and activities of legume lectins --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2 --- Overview of serine protease inhibitors in plants --- p.14 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Classification of serine protease inhibitor --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- The main functions of plant serine protease inhibitors --- p.17 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Commercial application of serine protease inhibirtors --- p.19 / Chapter 1.2.3.1 --- Medical application --- p.19 / Chapter 1.2.3.2 --- Transgenic application in agriculture --- p.22 / Chapter 1.3 --- Overview of Pathogenesis-related proteins in plants --- p.25 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Overview of PR-5 family Thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) --- p.27 / Chapter 1.3.1.1 --- Structural similarities among TLPs --- p.28 / Chapter 1.3.1.2 --- Antifungal activity of TLP --- p.31 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Overview of Chinase-like proteins (CLPs) --- p.33 / Chapter 1.3.2.1 --- Classification of chitinase --- p.34 / Chapter 1.3.2.1.1 --- On the basis of amino acid sequence of glycosyl hydrolase --- p.34 / Chapter 1.3.2.1.2 --- On the basis of amino acid sequence of plant chitinase --- p.35 / Chapter 1.3.2.2 --- Antifungal activity of CLP --- p.36 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Anti-freeze property of PR proteins --- p.38 / Chapter 1.3.4 --- Application of PR proteins in agriculture --- p.40 / Chapter 1.4 --- Rationale of the present study --- p.42 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Materials and Methods / Chapter 2.1 --- Materials --- p.43 / Chapter 2.2 --- Preparation of crude extract --- p.44 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Hokkaido large black soybean --- p.44 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Emperor banana --- p.45 / Chapter 2.3 --- Purification --- p.45 / Chapter 2.4 --- Chromatography --- p.46 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- DEAE-cellulose chromatography --- p.46 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Affi-gel Blue gel --- p.47 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- SP-Sepharse --- p.48 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Mono Q HR 5/5 and Mono S HR 5/5 --- p.49 / Chapter 2.4.5 --- Superdex 75 and superdex 200 --- p.50 / Chapter 2.5 --- Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) --- p.50 / Chapter 2.6 --- Protein concentration determination --- p.54 / Chapter 2.7 --- Preparation of rabbit reticulocyte lysate --- p.54 / Chapter 2.8 --- Determination of N-terminal amino acid sequence --- p.56 / Chapter 2.9 --- Assay of inhibition of hemagglutinating activity by different carbohydrates --- p.56 / Chapter 2.10 --- Thermal stability determination assays --- p.57 / Chapter 2.10.1 --- Stability at various temperatures --- p.57 / Chapter 2.10.2 --- Stability at 100°C --- p.57 / Chapter 2.11 --- Assay of pH dependence of hemagglutinating activity --- p.58 / Chapter 2.12 --- Assay of ion dependence of hemagglutinating activity --- p.58 / Chapter 2.13 --- Assay of antifungal activity --- p.58 / Chapter 2.14 --- Assay of trypsin inhibitory activity --- p.60 / Chapter 2.15 --- Assay of antibacterial activity --- p.61 / Chapter 2.16 --- Assay for cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines --- p.61 / Chapter 2.17 --- Assay for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitory activity --- p.62 / Chapter 2.18 --- Assay of mitogenic activity --- p.63 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Purification and Characterization of Defense-Related Proteins from their Respective Sources / Chapter 3.1 --- Purification and Characterization of a Lectin from the Seeds of Hokkaido large black soybean / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Introduction --- p.65 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Results --- p.66 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Purification --- p.68 / Chapter 3.1.3.1 --- Affinity chromatography on Affi-gel Blue gel --- p.69 / Chapter 3.1.3.2 --- Anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose --- p.70 / Chapter 3.1.3.3 --- Anion-exchange chromatography on Mono Q column --- p.71 / Chapter 3.1.3.4 --- Gel filtration on Superdex 200 column --- p.72 / Chapter 3.1.3.5 --- Hemagglutinating activity at each purification step --- p.73 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Characterization of Lectin --- p.74 / Chapter 3.1.4.1 --- Molecular mass determination --- p.74 / Chapter 3.1.4.2 --- N-terminal amino acid sequencing --- p.76 / Chapter 3.1.4.3 --- Assay of inhibition of hemagglutinating activity by different carbohydrates --- p.77 / Chapter 3.1.4.4 --- Thermal stability --- p.78 / Chapter 3.1.4.5 --- Assay of pH dependence of hemagglutinating activity --- p.80 / Chapter 3.1.4.6 --- Assay of ion dependence of hemagglutinating activity --- p.81 / Chapter 3.1.4.7 --- Assay for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitory activity --- p.82 / Chapter 3.1.4.8 --- Assay of mitogenic activity --- p.83 / Chapter 3.1.4.9 --- Assay of antibacterial activity --- p.84 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Discussion --- p.86 / Chapter 3.2 --- Purification and Characterization of a Trypsin inhibitor from the Seeds of Hokkaido large black soybean / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Introduction --- p.93 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Results --- p.94 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Purification --- p.95 / Chapter 3.2.3.1 --- Anion-exchange chromatography on Mono Q column --- p.96 / Chapter 3.2.3.2 --- Gel filtration on Superdex 75 column --- p.98 / Chapter 3.2.3.3 --- Trypsin inhibitory activity at each purification step --- p.99 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Characterization of trypsin inhibitory --- p.100 / Chapter 3.2.4.1 --- Molecular mass determination --- p.100 / Chapter 3.2.4.2 --- N-terminal amino acid sequencing --- p.102 / Chapter 3.2.4.3 --- Assay for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitory activity --- p.103 / Chapter 3.2.4.4 --- Antiproliferative effect on MCF-7 and Hep G2 cells --- p.104 / Chapter 3.2.4.5 --- pH and thermal stability --- p.105 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Discussion --- p.106 / Chapter 3.3 --- Purification and Characterization of a Thaumatin-like protein and Chitinase-like protein from Emperor Banana / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Introduction --- p.108 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Results --- p.109 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Purification --- p.111 / Chapter 3.3.3.1 --- Affinity chromatography on Affi-gel Blue gel --- p.112 / Chapter 3.3.3.2 --- Cation exchange chromatography on Mono S column --- p.113 / Chapter 3.3.3.3 --- Gel filtration on Superdex 75 column --- p.114 / Chapter 3.3.3.3.1 --- Fraction MS 2 --- p.114 / Chapter 3.3.3.3.2 --- Fraction MS 4 --- p.115 / Chapter 3.3.3.3.3 --- Fraction MS 5 --- p.118 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Characterization of the thaumatin-like protein --- p.121 / Chapter 3.3.4.1 --- N-terminal amino acid sequence determination --- p.121 / Chapter 3.3.4.2 --- Assay for antifungal activity --- p.122 / Chapter 3.3.4.3 --- Thermal stability --- p.124 / Chapter 3.3.4.4 --- pH stability --- p.125 / Chapter 3.3.4.5 --- Resistance to trypsin digestion --- p.125 / Chapter 3.3.4.6 --- Anti-HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity --- p.126 / Chapter 3.3.4.7 --- Discussion --- p.127 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- Characterization of the two chitinase-like protein --- p.131 / Chapter 3.3.5.1 --- N-terminal amino acid sequence determination --- p.131 / Chapter 3.3.5.1.1 --- Emperor banana MS2 CLP --- p.131 / Chapter 3.3.5.1.2 --- Emperor banana MS4 CLP --- p.132 / Chapter 3.3.5.2 --- Assay for antifungal activity --- p.133 / Chapter 3.3.5.3 --- Discussion --- p.136 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- general discussion --- p.138 / References --- p.144

Lectinas são proteínas que possuem pelo menos um domínio não catalítico que se liga reversível e especificamente a um monossacarídeo ou oligossacarídeo. A capacidade de ligação a diferentes tipos de açúcares torna essas moléculas ferramentas úteis no estudo de diversos processos celulares específicos. Embora as lectinas de plantas sejam amplamente estudadas, aquelas referentes à família Apocynaceae ainda são pouco exploradas. Resultados prévios obtidos pelo nosso grupo de pesquisa mostraram que extratos brutos de súber do caule da apocinácea Tabernaemontana hystrix Steud apresenta atividade hemaglutinante. Além de aglutinar eritrócitos do sistema ABO, a putativa aglutinina foi capaz de estimular a síntese de RNAm de IL-6 e TGF- beta em células esplênicas de camundongos. À vista disso, no presente projeto tivemos como objetivo identificar, caracterizar bioquimicamente e avaliar o possível potencial imunoestimulador da aglutinina de T. hystrix. Os extratos de T. hystrix obtidos por meio da farinha de raspas do súber apresentaram atividade hemaglutinante, o que não foi observado no extrato do caule destituído de súber e no extraído das folhas. Para comprovar que se tratava da atividade observada anteriormente, obtivemos a inibição da hemaglutinação com a glicoproteína fetuína, mas não houve inibição por monossacarídeos. Foi determinado um protocolo de isolamento da hemaglutinina com precipitação do extrato do súber com sulfato de amônio, cuja atividade foi recuperada no material precipitado na faixa de 30 a 60% de saturação, seguido de cromatografias sequenciais por (1) interação hidrofóbica (HiTrap Octyl), (2) troca catiônica (HiTrap SP), (3) fase reversa (EC Nucleosil C18) e (4) afinidade (Blue Sepharose). Nessas colunas a atividade foi recuperada do (1) material não retido e dos eluatos (2 e 4) com 1M e 0,5M de NaCl, respectivamente, e (3) 83% de acetonitrila. Esse protocolo produziu uma preparação homogênea contendo um peptídeo cuja análise eletrofóretica revelou massa molecular (MM) aproximada de 3kDa e concentração hemaglutinante mínima de 50g/mL. A fim de determinar se esse peptídeo formava estrutura quaternária (dímeros, tetrâmetros, etc.), característica da maioria das lectinas de plantas, submeteu-se a preparação a uma eletroforese em gel nativo (PAGE), não sendo observadas mudanças na MM do peptídeo e nem a presença de outras moléculas com MM maiores que pudessem estar associadas a ele, o que sugere que a aglutinina de T. hystrix (denominado aqui de Tabhys) é um peptídeo de MM aproximada de 3kDa. O fato da heveína, um dos peptídeos lectínicos com atividade antifúngica mais estudado, ter especificidade por quitina nos motivou a tentar o isolamento do peptídeo em coluna desse polissacarídeo. Observou-se atividade hemaglutinante e presença de peptídeo com MM de 3kDa no material eluído com Ácido acético a 0,1M da coluna de quitina. Curiosamente, nenhuma de nossas preparações foram capazes de inibir o crescimento do fungo Trichophyton rubrum. O peptídeo purificado foi testado quanto a sua capacidade em induzir a proliferação celular e a produção de citocinas em células esplênicas murinas. Os resultados dos ensaios de RT-PCR em tempo real e citometria de fluxo demonstraram que o a aglutinina de T. hystrix não foi capaz de estimular a proliferação de linfócitos, entretanto, induziu o aumento de mensagem para a citocina TGF-beta, cujo pico de produção ocorreu em célula estimuladas com 37ng/mL. Neste estudo, relatamos a presença de um peptídeo no extrato de T. hystrix com atividade hemaglutinante, o que é relativamente raro e novo. Devido a isso, este estudo pode proporcionar novas perspectivas e paradigmas nos estudos das lectinas a nível molecular e estrutural. / Lectins are proteins that have at least one non-catalytic domain that binds specifically and reversibly to a monosaccharide or oligosaccharide. This ability to bind to different types of sugars makes these molecules useful tools in the study of various specific cellular processes. Although the plant lectins are widely studied, those belong to Apocynaceae family are still little explored. Previous results obtained by our research group showed that bark crude extracts from Tabernaemontana hystrix Steud (Apocynaceae) had hemagglutination activity. Besides to agglutinate erythrocytes from ABO blood group system, the putative agglutinin induced the synthesis of IL-6 and TGF-beta mRNA in mouse spleen cells. Here we aim to identify, characterize biochemically and evaluate the possible immunostimulatory potential of T. hystrix agglutinin. The haemagglutination activity was obtained from crude extracts of bark flour, but not of flours of stems without bark and leaves. The activity of the bark extract was similar to that from the previous study, since the haemagglutination was inhibited by the glycoprotein fetuin, but not by monosaccharides. An isolation protocol was determined by using ammonium sulfate precipitation, with haemagglutination activity recovered in the range of 30-60% of saturation, and sequential chromatography procedures: (1) hydrophobic interaction (HiTrap Octyl), (2) cation-exchange (HiTrap SP), (3) reverse phase (EC Nucleosil) and (4) affinity (BlueSepharose) chromatography. From these columns the activity was recovered in the (1) unbound material, and eluates (2 and 4) with 1M and 0,5M of NaCl, respectively, and (3) 83% acetonitrile. On the basis of electrophoresis analysis, the protocol produced a preparation comprised of only band corresponding a peptide with molecular weight (MW) of about 3-kDa, with minimum haemagglutination concentration of 50g/ml. To determine if this molecule arrangement had a quaternary structure arrangement, a feature of most known lectins, we submitted the preparation to a native electrophoresis. Because there was neither change in migration pattern nor presence of molecules of higher molecular mass, we suggested that T. hystrix peptide (Tabhys) is a peptide with MW of about 3-kDa. Since hevein, which is a most studied lectin-like peptide with antifungal activity, binds specifically to chitin, we performed an affinity chromatography in the chitin column with bark extract. We observed haemagglutination activity and the presence of peptide with MW of 3-kDa in the material bound to column and eluted with 0,1M acetic acid. Curiously, this peptide was not able to inhibit the growth of the fungus Trichophyton rubrum. Thereafter, when the purified peptide was used to stimulate murine spleen cells, we detected the expression of TGF-beta message, with a peak production obtained in cell stimulated with 37 ng/mL of Tabhys. In the current study, we isolated a peptide from crude extract of T. hystrix bark with haemagglutination activity, providing new perspectives in molecular and structural researches of peptide lectins.

Lectinas são proteínas que possuem pelo menos um domínio não catalítico que se liga reversível e especificamente a um monossacarídeo ou oligossacarídeo. A capacidade de ligação a diferentes tipos de açúcares torna essas moléculas ferramentas úteis no estudo de diversos processos celulares específicos. Embora as lectinas de plantas sejam amplamente estudadas, aquelas referentes à família Apocynaceae ainda são pouco exploradas. Resultados prévios obtidos pelo nosso grupo de pesquisa mostraram que extratos brutos de súber do caule da apocinácea Tabernaemontana hystrix Steud apresenta atividade hemaglutinante. Além de aglutinar eritrócitos do sistema ABO, a putativa aglutinina foi capaz de estimular a síntese de RNAm de IL-6 e TGF- beta em células esplênicas de camundongos. À vista disso, no presente projeto tivemos como objetivo identificar, caracterizar bioquimicamente e avaliar o possível potencial imunoestimulador da aglutinina de T. hystrix. Os extratos de T. hystrix obtidos por meio da farinha de raspas do súber apresentaram atividade hemaglutinante, o que não foi observado no extrato do caule destituído de súber e no extraído das folhas. Para comprovar que se tratava da atividade observada anteriormente, obtivemos a inibição da hemaglutinação com a glicoproteína fetuína, mas não houve inibição por monossacarídeos. Foi determinado um protocolo de isolamento da hemaglutinina com precipitação do extrato do súber com sulfato de amônio, cuja atividade foi recuperada no material precipitado na faixa de 30 a 60% de saturação, seguido de cromatografias sequenciais por (1) interação hidrofóbica (HiTrap Octyl), (2) troca catiônica (HiTrap SP), (3) fase reversa (EC Nucleosil C18) e (4) afinidade (Blue Sepharose). Nessas colunas a atividade foi recuperada do (1) material não retido e dos eluatos (2 e 4) com 1M e 0,5M de NaCl, respectivamente, e (3) 83% de acetonitrila. Esse protocolo produziu uma preparação homogênea contendo um peptídeo cuja análise eletrofóretica revelou massa molecular (MM) aproximada de 3kDa e concentração hemaglutinante mínima de 50g/mL. A fim de determinar se esse peptídeo formava estrutura quaternária (dímeros, tetrâmetros, etc.), característica da maioria das lectinas de plantas, submeteu-se a preparação a uma eletroforese em gel nativo (PAGE), não sendo observadas mudanças na MM do peptídeo e nem a presença de outras moléculas com MM maiores que pudessem estar associadas a ele, o que sugere que a aglutinina de T. hystrix (denominado aqui de Tabhys) é um peptídeo de MM aproximada de 3kDa. O fato da heveína, um dos peptídeos lectínicos com atividade antifúngica mais estudado, ter especificidade por quitina nos motivou a tentar o isolamento do peptídeo em coluna desse polissacarídeo. Observou-se atividade hemaglutinante e presença de peptídeo com MM de 3kDa no material eluído com Ácido acético a 0,1M da coluna de quitina. Curiosamente, nenhuma de nossas preparações foram capazes de inibir o crescimento do fungo Trichophyton rubrum. O peptídeo purificado foi testado quanto a sua capacidade em induzir a proliferação celular e a produção de citocinas em células esplênicas murinas. Os resultados dos ensaios de RT-PCR em tempo real e citometria de fluxo demonstraram que o a aglutinina de T. hystrix não foi capaz de estimular a proliferação de linfócitos, entretanto, induziu o aumento de mensagem para a citocina TGF-beta, cujo pico de produção ocorreu em célula estimuladas com 37ng/mL. Neste estudo, relatamos a presença de um peptídeo no extrato de T. hystrix com atividade hemaglutinante, o que é relativamente raro e novo. Devido a isso, este estudo pode proporcionar novas perspectivas e paradigmas nos estudos das lectinas a nível molecular e estrutural. / Lectins are proteins that have at least one non-catalytic domain that binds specifically and reversibly to a monosaccharide or oligosaccharide. This ability to bind to different types of sugars makes these molecules useful tools in the study of various specific cellular processes. Although the plant lectins are widely studied, those belong to Apocynaceae family are still little explored. Previous results obtained by our research group showed that bark crude extracts from Tabernaemontana hystrix Steud (Apocynaceae) had hemagglutination activity. Besides to agglutinate erythrocytes from ABO blood group system, the putative agglutinin induced the synthesis of IL-6 and TGF-beta mRNA in mouse spleen cells. Here we aim to identify, characterize biochemically and evaluate the possible immunostimulatory potential of T. hystrix agglutinin. The haemagglutination activity was obtained from crude extracts of bark flour, but not of flours of stems without bark and leaves. The activity of the bark extract was similar to that from the previous study, since the haemagglutination was inhibited by the glycoprotein fetuin, but not by monosaccharides. An isolation protocol was determined by using ammonium sulfate precipitation, with haemagglutination activity recovered in the range of 30-60% of saturation, and sequential chromatography procedures: (1) hydrophobic interaction (HiTrap Octyl), (2) cation-exchange (HiTrap SP), (3) reverse phase (EC Nucleosil) and (4) affinity (BlueSepharose) chromatography. From these columns the activity was recovered in the (1) unbound material, and eluates (2 and 4) with 1M and 0,5M of NaCl, respectively, and (3) 83% acetonitrile. On the basis of electrophoresis analysis, the protocol produced a preparation comprised of only band corresponding a peptide with molecular weight (MW) of about 3-kDa, with minimum haemagglutination concentration of 50g/ml. To determine if this molecule arrangement had a quaternary structure arrangement, a feature of most known lectins, we submitted the preparation to a native electrophoresis. Because there was neither change in migration pattern nor presence of molecules of higher molecular mass, we suggested that T. hystrix peptide (Tabhys) is a peptide with MW of about 3-kDa. Since hevein, which is a most studied lectin-like peptide with antifungal activity, binds specifically to chitin, we performed an affinity chromatography in the chitin column with bark extract. We observed haemagglutination activity and the presence of peptide with MW of 3-kDa in the material bound to column and eluted with 0,1M acetic acid. Curiously, this peptide was not able to inhibit the growth of the fungus Trichophyton rubrum. Thereafter, when the purified peptide was used to stimulate murine spleen cells, we detected the expression of TGF-beta message, with a peak production obtained in cell stimulated with 37 ng/mL of Tabhys. In the current study, we isolated a peptide from crude extract of T. hystrix bark with haemagglutination activity, providing new perspectives in molecular and structural researches of peptide lectins.

Lectins are multivalent carbohydrate binding proteins that specifically recognise diverse sugar structures and mediate a variety of biological processes, such as cell-cell and host-pathogen interactions, serum glycoprotein turnover and innate immune responses. Lectins have received considerable attention in recent years on account of their properties leading to wide use in research and biomedical applications. Seeds of leguminous plants are mainly rich sources of lectins, but lectins are also found in all classes and families of organisms. Legume lectins have similar tertiary structures, but exhibit a large variety of quaternary structures. The carbohydrate binding site in them is made up of four loops, the first three of which are highly conserved in all legume lectins. The fourth loop, which is variable, is implicated in conferring specificity. Legume lectins which share the same monosaccharide specificity often exhibit markedly different oligosaccharide specificities. This thesis primarily concerns with structure solution and analysis of lectins from the legume and β-prism II fold families using X-ray crystallography. Apart from having the property of specifically and reversibly binding to carbohydrates, lectins are also interesting models to study sequence-structure relationships, especially of how minor change in the sequence may bring about major changes in oligomerization and binding. Chapter 1 gives an overview of different structural types of plant lectins and describes in detail, their carbohydrate binding features. The details of the various experimental procedures employed during the course of this research, are explained in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 describes the crystal structure of a β-prism II fold lectin (RVL), from Remusatia vivipara, an epiphytic plant of traditional medicinal value, and analysis of its binding properties. This lectin was established to have distinct binding properties and has nematicidal activity against a root-knot nematode with the localization site identified as the high-mannose displaying gut-lining in the nematode. The crystal structure of RVL revealed a new quaternary association of this homodimeric lectin, different from those of reported β-prism II lectins. Functional studies on RVL showed that it fails to bind to simple mannose moieties yet showed agglutination with rabbit blood cells (which have mannose moieties on the surface) and some high mannose containing glycoproteins like mucin and asialofetuin. Further, ELISA and glycan array experiments indicated that RVL has high affinity to N-glycans like trimannose pentasaccharide such as in gp120, a capsid glycoprotein of HIV virus, necessary in virus-association with the host cell. The structural basis for this N-glycan binding was revealed through structure analysis and molecular modelling, and it was demonstrated that there are two distinct binding sites per monomer, making RVL a truly multivalent lectin. Evolutionary phylogeny revealed the divergence in the β-prism II fold proteins with regards to the number of sugar-binding regions per domain, oligomerization and specificity. Chapter 4 deals with the structural studies on a galactose-specific legume lectin (DLL-II) from Dolichos lablab, a leguminous plant. The lectin was found to be a planar tetramer in the crystal structures of the native and ligand bound forms, as expected from our solution studies and phylogenetic analysis. The protein is a heterotetramer with subunits differing only in the presence or absence of a C-terminal helical region at the core of the tetramer. Due to the static disorder in all the crystals, the central helix could be oriented in either direction. Structure analysis of DLL-II proved to be an interesting endeavour as static disorder compounded with twinning in the crystal made the data processing and structure solution a challenging process. Subsequent structure and sequence alignments led to the identification of an adenine-binding pocket in the hydrophobic core of the tetramer. Based on this, DLL-II lectin was co-crystallized with adenine and the structure revealed the presence of adenine at the predicted binding site. Chapter 5 describes the identification and analysis of potential plant lectins/lectin-like domains in the genome of Oryza sativa, using bioinformatics approaches. This project was initiated to study the occurrence of legume-lectin like domains (a predominant dicot feature) in O. sativa, which is a monocot. Later, a large scale genome analysis for all types of lectin domains was carried out through exhaustive PSI-BLAST, profile matching by HMMer, CDD and MulPSSM. The final validation was carried out by assessing the carbohydrate binding potential of the domain by examining the sugar binding sites. The primary interest in undertaking this work was to find the occurrence of association of these domains with other domains as in protein receptor kinases, where lectin is the receptor domain. Though primarily initiated as a bioinformatics project, further structural characterization was attempted by cloning, expression and purification of some of the annotated lectin proteins using prokaryotic expression systems. The protein expression was attained in reasonable amounts for a few of the annotated legume lectin homologs, however purification is yet to be achieved as the expressed proteins are insoluble. A part of the results described in this thesis and the other related projects that the author was involved are reported in the following publications. 1) Purification, characterization and molecular cloning of a monocot mannose-binding lectin from Remusatia vivipara with nematicidal activity Bhat GG, Shetty KN, Nagre NN, Neekhra VV, Lingaraju S, Bhat RS, Inamdar SR, Suguna K, Swamy BM. 2010. Glycoconjugate J. 27(3):309-320 2) Modification of the sugar specificity of a plant lectin: structural studies on a point mutant of Erythrina corallodendron lectin Thamotharan S, Karthikeyan T, Kulkarni KA, Shetty KN, Surolia A, Vijayan M & Suguna K. 2011. Acta Crystallographica D 67(3):218-227 3) Crystal structure of a β-prism II lectin from Remusatia vivipara Shetty KN, Bhat GG, Inamdar SR, Swamy BM, Suguna K. 2012. Glycobiology 22(1): 56-69. 4) Structure of a galactose binding lectin from Dolichos lablab Shetty KN, Lavanyalatha V, Rao RN, SivaKumar N & Suguna K (Under review) 5) Occurrence of lectin-like domains: Oryza sativa genome analysis. Shetty KN & Suguna K. (Manuscript in preparation)