Isolation, purification and characterization of a lectin from Lenzites sp.

A 180 kD lectin with mitogenic activity was isolated from the crude extract of the fungus, Lenzites sp., by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by gel chromatography on Sephadex G 200. Fetuin, a glycoprotein, was found to Inhibit agglutination of the lectin and was used as a ligand for affinity chromatography. SDS-PAGE of the lectin revealed that it is a monomer. The lectin is active at pH 5 - 10 and at 20 - 60 C. It contains 0.30% total sugar. HPLC of the lectin hydrolysate showed the presence of glucose and galactose. Microbiological assay showed that the lectin did not Inhibit the growth of E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and B. cersus. Likewise, MTT cytotoxicity assay did not show Inhibitory effect of the lectin on the growth of Sarcoma 180 and A 549 cancer cells. Instead, the lectin Induced the growth of the cells as Indicated by the functional survival (FS) values.