Search

Expression of altered glycans such as TF, Tn, and sTn antigens has been observed in a number of carcinomas which are targeted in cancer therapy. Sclerotium rolfsii lectin (SRL) is known to recognize TF and its substituted forms. Clinical potential of SRL has been demonstrated by studying its interaction with different types of cancer cells. Here we report, in vitro studies of SRL on breast cancer MDA‐MB‐468 cells and in vivo studies with MCF‐7 xenografts. In vitro growth inhibitory studies of SRL on metastatic triple negative breast cancer MDA‐MB‐468 cells were performed by MTT assay, flow cytometry, adhesion, and CAM assay. In vivo efficacy studies of SRL were performed using NOD SCID mice bearing MCF‐7 xenografts. SRL has strong binding to MDA‐MB‐468 cells with MFI of 85.5 and has growth inhibitory effect with IC50 of 32 μg/ml at 48 hr. SRL has antiangiogenesis effect and also anti adhesive effect with fibronectin and collagen at 20 μg/ml by 36% and 42%, respectively. In vivo efficacy studies of SRL on NOD SCID mice bearing MCF‐7 xenogratfs revealed 61.77% and 75.71% tumor regressing effect, respectively, at 20 and 30 mg/kg body weight without any toxicity. All these results substantiate clinical potential of SRL on breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophthalmic mycoses caused by infectious fungi are being recognized as a serious concern since they lead to total blindness. Cephalosporium is one amongst several opportunistic fungal species implicated in ophthalmic infections leading to mycotic keratitis. A mitogenic lectin has been purified from the mycelia of fungus Cephalosporium, isolated from the corneal smears of a keratitis patient. Cephalosporium lectin (CSL) is a tetramer with subunit mass of 14 kDa, agglutinates human A, B, and O erythrocytes, and exhibits high affinity formucin compared to fetuin and asialofetuin but does not bind to simple sugars indicating its complex sugar specificity. CSL showed strong binding to normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to elicit mitogenic activity. The sugar specificity of the lectin and its interaction with PBMCs to exhibit mitogenic effect indicate its possible role in adhesion and infection process of Cephalosporium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sclerotium rolfsii lectin (SRL), from the soil-borne phytopathogenic fungus S. rolfsii, has been crystallized. SRL crystals were grown by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using an MPD-ammonium acetate mixture in Tris-HC1 buffer pH 8.5. A complete data set from a single crystal at 100 K was collected to 1.1. A resolution using synchrotron radiation. Preliminary crystallographic analysis showed that the crystals belong to the tetragonal spoace group P4[sub 2]2[sub 1]2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 99.81, c = 63.99 A and two molecules per asymmetric unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]