A Sialic Acid-Specific Lectin from the Mushroom Paecilomyces Japonica that Exhibits Hemagglutination Activity and Cytotoxicity

Abstract

The mushroom Paecilomyces japonica, grown on the silkworm larvae, has been used in Asia as a nutraceutical, tea, and Chinese medicine. In the present study, a sialic acid-specific lectin has been purified from the mushroom P. japonica using affinity chromatography on a fetuin-agarose column. Electrophoretical analyses indicated that this lectin, designated P. japonica agglutinin (PJA), is an acidic protein with a molecular mass of 16 kDa, and has no intermolecular disulfide bonds. PJA induced hemagglutination activity in human ABO, mouse, rat, and rabbit erythrocytes. This activity was inhibited by sialic acid and sialoglycoproteins, but not by any other carbohydrates. PJA was stable at pH 4.0-8.0, and at temperatures below 55 degrees C. The activity of PJA was independent of EDTA and divalent cations. In addition, PJA exerts cytotoxic effects on the following cancer cell lines: human stomach cancer SNU-1, human pancreas cancer AsPc-1, and human breast cancer MDA-MB-231.

In vitro cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities of marine macroalgae from Yucatán, Mexico

“…Lectins interact with specific glycan structures linked to soluble and membrane-bound glycoconjugates, and these proteincarbohydrate interactions play key roles in biological processes such as cell communication, pathogen infection and host defense, fertilization, development, cell differentiation, cancer, and metastasis (Damme et al 1998, Beisel et al 1999. There is evidence that land plant lectins present antitumoral activity against human cancer lines (Dalla Pellegrina et al 2004, Park et al 2004, Chauhan et al 2005, Khil et al 2007; however, in this study the aqueous extract containing hydrophilic compounds such as lectins did not show important activity, suggesting that lectins could not be responsible for the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity of B. triquetum against cancer cells. More studies are necessary to isolate and identify active compounds responsible for those effects.…”

“…Estas interacciones entre proteína y carbohidrato desempeñan un papel relevante en algunos procesos biológicos tales como la comunicación entre las células, las infecciones patógenas y la defensa del huésped, fertilización, desarrollo, diferenciación de la célula, cáncer y metástasis (Damme et al 1998, Beisel et al 1999. Existen evidencias que demuestran que las lectinas de plantas terrestres tienen actividad antitumoral (Dalla Pellegrina et al 2004, Park et al 2004, Chauhan et al 2005, Khil et al 2007. Sin embargo, en este estudio el extracto acuoso que contiene compuestos hidrofílicos como la lectina, no registró actividad importante, lo que sugiere que las lectinas no podrían ser las responsables de la actividad citotóxica y antiproliferativa de B. triquetum sobre las células tumorales.…”

Purification and characterization of a novel ubiquitin-like antitumour protein with hemagglutinating and deoxyribonuclease activities from the edible mushroom Ramaria botrytis

“…The differential cytotoxic effects of RBUP can be of significance for medical use. Park et al ( 2004 ) have reported that the different cytotoxicities of Paecilomyces japonica lectin (PJA) towards different cancer cell lines were related with its hemagglutinating activity, which was inhibited by sialic acid and sialoglycoproteins. The surface membrane expression of the sialoglycoconjugate structure in each of the cancer cell lines was the key to these differences.…”

Mushroom extracts and compounds with suppressive action on breast cancer: evidence from studies using cultured cancer cells, tumor-bearing animals, and clinical trials

“…A 12-kDa antifungal protease from C. militaris with a pI of 5.1 displayed a cytotoxic action on human breast cancer cells (Park et al 2004). Another 10.9-kDa antifungal peptide cordymin exerted an antiproliferative action toward breast cancer MCF-7cells but it was devoid of an effect on colon cancer HT-29 cells, murine splenocytes, and murine macrophages (Wong et al 2011).…”