Molecules 2012, 17(5), 5244-5254; doi:10.3390/molecules17055244
Article

Lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis Seeds (ConBr) Is a Valuable Biotechnological Tool to Stimulate the Growth of Rhizobium tropici in Vitro

Mayron Alves de Vasconcelos 1 email, Claudio Oliveira Cunha 1 email, Francisco Vassiliepe Sousa Arruda 2 email, Victor Alves Carneiro 2 email, Fabio Martins Mercante 3,† email, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento Neto 2 email, Giselly Soares de Sousa 4 email, Bruno Anderson Matias Rocha 1,† email, Edson Holanda Teixeira 2,† email, Benildo Sousa Cavada 1,†,* email and Ricardo Pires dos Santos 4,†,* email
1 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, CE 60440-970, Brazil 2 Integrated Laboratory of Biomolecules (LIBS), School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceara, Sobral, CE 62042-280, Brazil 3 Embrapa Western Region Agriculture, Dourados, MS 79804-970, Brazil 4 Computer Engineering/Biotechnology Center of Sobral, Federal University of Ceara, CE 62011-000, Brazil † Scholarship holder of the CNPq Program for Productivity in Research.
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 5 April 2012; in revised form: 22 April 2012 / Accepted: 25 April 2012 / Published: 7 May 2012
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [480 KB, uploaded 7 May 2012 09:32 CEST]
Abstract: 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.
Keywords: lectin; Canavalia brasiliensis; Canavalia ensiformis; Rhizobium tropici; interaction; growth

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

de Vasconcelos, M.A.; Cunha, C.O.; Arruda, F.V.S.; Carneiro, V.A.; Mercante, F.M.; do Nascimento Neto, L.G.; de Sousa, G.S.; Rocha, B.A.M.; Teixeira, E.H.; Cavada, B.S.; dos Santos, R.P. Lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis Seeds (ConBr) Is a Valuable Biotechnological Tool to Stimulate the Growth of Rhizobium tropici in Vitro. Molecules 2012, 17, 5244-5254.

AMA Style

de Vasconcelos MA, Cunha CO, Arruda FVS, Carneiro VA, Mercante FM, do Nascimento Neto LG, de Sousa GS, Rocha BAM, Teixeira EH, Cavada BS, dos Santos RP. Lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis Seeds (ConBr) Is a Valuable Biotechnological Tool to Stimulate the Growth of Rhizobium tropici in Vitro. Molecules. 2012; 17(5):5244-5254.

Chicago/Turabian Style

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. 2012. "Lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis Seeds (ConBr) Is a Valuable Biotechnological Tool to Stimulate the Growth of Rhizobium tropici in Vitro." Molecules 17, no. 5: 5244-5254.

Molecules EISSN 1420-3049 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert