Lectins and hemagglutinins are carbohydrate binding proteins present in a diversity of organisms including humans, vertebrate and invertebrate animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. They are usually the abundant storage proteins in leguminous plants. They display a host of biological activities such as antitumor, antifungal, antiviral, insecticidal, and antibacterial activities. / The biological properties of isolated proteins, including hemagglutinating, antifungal, anti-tumor and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activities, were examined. Their biochemical and biological properties were compared with other purified proteins. / The seeds contain an abundance of proteins, some of which are storage proteins but may play a role of protection from pathogenic microbes and phytophagous insects. Antifungal peptides/proteins, antiviral proteins, ribosome-inactivating proteins, proteinase inhibitors, chitinases, proteinases, and defensins, are some examples of the myriad of seed proteins. The aforementioned proteins are collectively called plant defense proteins in view of their antipathogenic activities. These antifungal proteins exhibit a wide range of molecular masses and amino acid sequences. / Two lectins with potentially exploitable activities were purified from Capparis spinosa seeds and Hibiscus mutabilis seeds, respectively. A hemagglutinin was isolated from Phaselous vulgaris , cultivar "French bean 35", and detailed apoptotic pathway in breast cancer cells, MCF-7 cells, was investigated. A novel dimeric beta-lactoglobulin-like antifungal protein and an antifungal amidase were purified from Passiflora edilus seeds and Peltophorum pterocarpum, respectively. / Lam, Sze Kwan. / Adviser: Tsi Bun Ng. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 188-204). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:cuhk.edu.hk/oai:cuhk-dr:cuhk_344489 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Contributors | Lam, Sze Kwan., Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School. Division of Life Sciences. |
| Source Sets | The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Language | English, Chinese |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, theses |
| Format | electronic resource, microform, microfiche, 1 online resource (xvi, 204 leaves : ill.) |
| Rights | Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
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