Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.  2013 Dec;17(6):547-551. 10.4196/kjpp.2013.17.6.547.

Binding Specificity of Philyra pisum Lectin to Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns, and Its Secondary Structure

• Park BT
• Kim BS
• Park H
• Jeong J
• Hyun H
• Hwang HS
• Kim HH

• KMID: 2285483
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.2013.17.6.547

Abstract

We recently reported a Philyra pisum lectin (PPL) that exerts mitogenic effects on human lymphocytes, and its molecular characterization. The present study provides a more detailed characterization of PPL based on the results from a monosaccharide analysis indicating that PPL is a glycoprotein, and circular dichroism spectra revealing its estimated alpha-helix, beta-sheet, beta-turn, and random coil contents to be 14.0%, 39.6%, 15.8%, and 30.6%, respectively. These contents are quite similar to those of deglycosylated PPL, indicating that glycans do not affect its intact structure. The binding properties to different pathogen-associated molecular patterns were investigated with hemagglutination inhibition assays using lipoteichoic acid from Gram-positive bacteria, lipopolysaccharide from Gram-negative bacteria, and both mannan and beta-1,3-glucan from fungi. PPL binds to lipoteichoic acids and mannan, but not to lipopolysaccharides or beta-1,3-glucan. PPL exerted no significant antiproliferative effects against human breast or bladder cancer cells. These results indicate that PPL is a glycoprotein with a lipoteichoic acid or mannan-binding specificity and which contains low and high proportions of alpha-helix and beta-structures, respectively. These properties are inherent to the innate immune system of P. pisum and indicate that PPL could be involved in signal transmission into Gram-positive bacteria or fungi.

Keyword

Antiproliferative activity; Deglycosylation; Lectin; Pathogen-associated molecular patterns; Secondary structure

MeSH Terms

beta-Glucans
Breast
Circular Dichroism
Fungi
Glycoproteins
Gram-Negative Bacteria
Gram-Positive Bacteria
Hemagglutination
Humans
Immune System
Lipopolysaccharides
Lymphocytes
Mannans
Polysaccharides
Sensitivity and Specificity*
Teichoic Acids
Urinary Bladder Neoplasms
Glycoproteins
Lipopolysaccharides
Mannans
Polysaccharides
Teichoic Acids
beta-Glucans

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Monosaccharide analysis of PPL using HPAEC-PAD with CarboPac PA10 and AminoTrap columns. (A) Monosaccharide standards and (B) acid hydrolysate of PPL.

• 

  Fig. 2 CD spectra (at pH 8.0) of PPL and deglycosylated PPL in the far-UV region.

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