Lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis seeds (ConBr) is a valuable biotechnological tool to stimulate the growth of Rhizobium tropici in vitro

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2012-05, Vol.17 (5), p.5244-5254
• Main Authors: de Vasconcelos, Mayron Alves, Cunha, Claudio Oliveira, Arruda, Francisco Vassiliepe Sousa, Carneiro, Victor Alves, Mercante, Fabio Martins, do Nascimento Neto, Luiz Gonzaga, de Sousa, Giselly Soares, Rocha, Bruno Anderson Matias, Teixeira, Edson Holanda, Cavada, Benildo Sousa, dos Santos, Ricardo Pires
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological Assay; Canavalia - chemistry; Carbohydrates; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electronic mail systems; Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; Fluorescent Dyes; Lectins; Mannose - pharmacology; Metabolism; Models, Molecular; Nitrogen Fixation - physiology; Plant Lectins - isolation & purification; Plant Lectins - metabolism; Plant Lectins - pharmacology; Protein Binding - drug effects; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Respiration; Rhizobium tropici - drug effects; Rhizobium tropici - physiology; Seeds; Seeds - chemistry; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Structure-Activity Relationship
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules17055244

To study the interactions between a Rhizobium tropici strain and lectins isolated from the seeds of Canavalia ensiformis (ConA) and Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr), a lectin fluorescence assay was performed. In addition, an experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the two lectins on bacterial growth. Both lectins were found to bind to R. tropici cells, but the interactions were inhibited by D-mannose. Interestingly, only ConBr stimulated bacterial growth in proportion to the concentrations used (15.6-500 μg/mL), and the bacterial growth stimulation was inhibited by D-mannose as well. Structure/Function analyses by bioinformatics were carried out to evaluate the volume and carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) configuration of ConA and ConBr. The difference of spatial arrangement and volume of CRD may indicate the variation between biological activities of both lectins. The results suggest that ConBr could be a promising tool for studies focusing on the interactions between rhizobia and host plants.