Mushroom lectins in biomedical research and development
Introduction
Lectins are quintessential proteins which possess at least one non-catalytic domain [1]. They bind reversibly and specifically to various monosaccharides and oligosaccharides without altering their covalent structure [2]. The distinctive ability of lectins to interact with cell surface glycans and precipitate soluble glycoconjugates leads to agglutination of various cell types. The carbohydrate binding site of lectins interacts with their corresponding glycan structures present on erythrocyte cell surface. Lectins thus have the ability to interact with various glycoconjugates and act as tools in examining cell physiology and pathology [3]. Lectins are ubiquitously distributed in nature and have been reported from plants (monocots, dicots), animals (vertebrates, invertebrates) and various microbes [4]. Microbial lectins from bacteria [5], algae [6], [7], protozoa [8], [9], lichens [10], viruses [11], yeasts [12], basidiomycetes [13], [14] and actinomycetes [15], [16] have been widely characterized and are involved in various cell-cell interactions. Amongst microfungi, lectins have been widely studied from genera Aspergillus [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], Cephalosporium [22], [23], Fusarium [24], [25], [26], Penicillium [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], Rhizoctonia [32], [33], [34] and Sclerotium [35], [36], [37].
Over the years, lectins from diverse sources have been widely explored and an ever increasing body of evidence suggesting that they are involved in various biomedical applications [3], [38], [39], [40], [41], [42], [43]. They are involved in inhibiting cancerous cells through autophagy and apoptosis leading to cell death eventually [44]. By inducing various immune stimulating activities, lectins act as prospective therapeutic agents for treatment of cancer and exhibit clinical significance [45]. Microbial lectins from various sources exhibit potential applications as diagnostic reagents, in bioflocculation, as probiotics and as drug targeting agents [46]. In lieu of various prospective applications of lectins, the current review focuses on up-to-date outline of mushroom lectins pertaining to their diverse sources, characteristics and potential in biomedical research.
Section snippets
Sources of mushroom lectins and their haemagglutination activity
Fungal species are the potential source for novel lectins having specificity towards unique glycan structure along with potential biotechnological and therapeutic applications [16], [47]. Around 80% of fungal lectins are isolated from mushrooms [13], [48]. Over the years, agglutinins have been widely reported from British higher fungi [49], Japanese mushrooms [50], [51], Australian mushrooms [52] and South-East Asia mushrooms [53], [54]. A wide number of lectins have been reported from edible
Characteristics of mushroom lectins
Mushroom lectins exhibit diverse physico-chemical characteristics including carbohydrate content, molecular weight, number of subunits and stability, under varied pH and temperature range. Various chromatographic techniques have been used for purification of mushroom lectins. Based on carbohydrate specificity of lectins, affinity chromatography has been widely used method for purification of fungal lectins. Over the years, various mushroom lectins have been purified through affinity
Biomedical applications of mushroom lectins
Over the years, mushroom lectins have been explored by various researchers and extensively studied for their potential applications. Molecular, biochemical and structural characteristics of hundreds of mushroom lectins along with their potential applications have been reviewed extensively by Hassan et al. [14]. Based on lectin-glycan interactions, mushroom lectins have been reported to exhibit potent antiviral activity [14], mitogenicity [54], modulation of immune cells and in therapeutics [78]
Conclusions
Mushroom lectins possess the ability to identify various glycoconjugates and mediate various cell surface associated biological responses. The involvement of mushroom lectins as cancer marker and diagnostic agent has received rave attention amongst lot of researchers. Various new mushroom lectins targeting different cancer cell lines are being explored. Lectin induced immune stimulating response along with antioxidant and therapeutic effects are some of the other important applications of
Declaration of Competing Interest
No declaration of interest is reported by authors.
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