Purification and Characterization of a Lectin fromPhaseolus vulgaris cv.(Anasazi Beans)

Abstract

A lectin has been isolated from seeds of thePhaseolus vulgaris cv.“Anasazi beans” using a procedure that involved affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel, fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC)-ion exchange chromatography on Mono S, and FPLC-gel filtration on Superdex 200. The lectin was comprised of two 30-kDa subunits with substantial N-terminal sequence similarity to otherPhaseoluslectins. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was stable within the pH range of 1–14 and the temperature range of 0–80∘C. The lectin potently suppressed proliferation of MCF-7 (breast cancer) cells with anIC50of 1.3 μM, and inhibited the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with anIC50of 7.6 μM. The lectin evoked a mitogenic response from murine splenocytes as evidenced by an increase in [3H-methyl]-thymidine incorporation. The lectin had no antifungal activity. It did not stimulate nitric oxide production by murine peritoneal macrophages. Chemical modification results indicated that tryptophan was crucial for the hemagglutinating activity of the lectin.