Abstract
Lectins are important components of the immune defense system of invertebrates. Given their important functions, numerous investigations have been carried out on the characterization and function of lectins in invertebrates. However, lectin studies with the freshwater planarian, an evolutionarily important animal, are rare. In this paper, we demonstrate agglutination of glutaraldehyde treated erythrocytes by a lectin with preference for rabbit erythrocytes. The result of hemagglutinating activity inhibition assays with several carbohydrates showed the most potent inhibitor was maltose. A natural lectin from the crude homogenates of freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica was purified by single step affinity chromatography using amylose-coupled agarose. The purified protein appeared as one band with a molecular mass of 350 kDa in PAGE, and as one band, approximately 56 kDa, in SDS-PAGE. The purified lectin showed dependence on calcium. The activity of the purified lectin was inhibited at temperatures greater than 50°C and showed a pH optimum between 5–8. The purified lectin also has binding activity to the Gram-negative bacteria E. coli, and the Gram-positive bacteria B. subtilis. Furthermore, the purified lectin obtained from injured and bacteria-induced planarians showed increased agglutinating activity against rabbit erythrocytes. These results suggest that the purified lectin may play an important role in the innate immunity of the freshwater planarian.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Nathan S., Halina L., Lectins, 2nd ed., Springer Press, Berlin, 2007
Janeway C.A., Medzhitov R., Innate immune recognition, Annu. Rev. Immunol., 2002, 20, 197–216
Weis W.L., Taylor M.E., Drickamer K., The C-type lectin superfamily in the immune system, Immunol. Rev., 1998, 163, 19–34
Frederiksen P.D., Thiel S., Jensen L., Hansen A.G., Matthiesen F., Jensenius J.C., Quantification of mannan-binding lectin, J. Immunol. Methods., 2006, 315, 49–60
Molchanova V., Chikalovets I., Li W., Kobelev S., Kozyrevskaya S., Bogdanovich R., et al., New GlcNAc/GalNAc-specific lectin from the ascidian Didemnum ternatanum, Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 2005, 1723, 82–90
Ryo M., Tomoko F.S., Hisanori K., Mamoru S., Natsuko S., Hiroaki N., et al., Glycomics of a novel type-2 N-acetyllactosamine-specific lectin purified from the feather star, Oxycomanthus japonicus (Pelmatozoa: Crinoidea), Comp. Biochem. Physiol. B, 2011, 158, 266–273
Goto R., Muramoto K., Yamazaki M., Kamiya H., Purification and characterization of an agglutinin of the soft coral Sinularia species, Dev. Comp. Immunol., 1992, 16, 9–17
Yu X.Q., Gan H., Kanost M.R., Immulectin, an inducible C-type lectin from an insect, Manduca sexta, stimulates activation of plasma prophenol oxidase, Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol., 1999, 29, 585–597
Olafsen J.A., Fletcher T.C., Grant P.T., Agglutinin activity in Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) hemolymph following in vivo Vibrio anguillarum challenge, Dev. Comp. Immunol., 1992, 16, 123–138
Middlebrooks B.L., Lee Y.M., Li M., Ellender R.D., Effects of repeated immunization and wound trauma on changes in hemolymph agglutinin levels in brown shrimp (penaeus aztecus), Annals. N.Y. Acad., 1994, 72, 358–360
Wang C.F., Zhang S.C., Luo Y., Xu T.T., Presence and induction by bacteria, of d-galactosidespecific lectins in the humoral fluids of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense, Inflammopharmacology, 2002, 9, 241–248
Nagaraj M.G., Usha G., M. Islam Khan., Purification and characterization of a T-antigen specific lectin from the coelomic fluid of a marine invertebrate, sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra), Fish Shellfish Immunol., 2008, 24, 450–458
Wang X.W., Xu W.T., Zhang X.W., Zhao X.F., Yu X.Q., Wang J.X., A C-type lectin is involved in the innate immune response of Chinese white shrimp, Fish Shellfish Immunol., 2009, 27, 556–562
Moura R.M., Queiroz A.F., Fook J.M., Dias A.S., Monteiro N.K., Ribeiro J.K., et al., CvL, a lectin from the marine sponge Cliona varians: isolation, characterization and its effects on pathogenic bacteria and Leishmania promastigotes, Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A Mol. Integr. Physiol., 2006, 145, 517–523
Miarons P.B., Fresno M., Lectins from tropical sponges, purification and characterization of lectins from genus Aplysina, J. Biol. Chem., 2000, 275, 29283–29289
Green P., Luty A., Nair S., Radford J., Raftos D., A second form of collagenous lectin from the tunicate, Styela plicata, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 2006, 144, 343–350
Bulgakov A.A., Park K.I., Choi K.S., Lim H.K., Cho M., Purification and characterization of a lectin isolated from the manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum in Korea, Fish Shellfish Immunol., 2004, 16, 487–499
Wago H., Anahara Y., Kikuchi M., Komuro S., Saito Y., Lectin in the body surface mucus of planaria, Dugesia japonica, Dev. Comp. Immunol., 1996, 20, IV–IV
Shagin D.A., Barsova E.V., Bogdanova E., Britanova O.V., Gurskaya N., Lukyanov K.A., et al., Identification and characterization of a new family of C-type lectin-like genes from planaria Girardia tigrina, Glycobiology, 2002, 12, 463–472
Reddien P.W., Bermange A.L., Kicza A.M., Sanchez A.A., BMP signaling regulates the dorsal planarian midline and is needed for asymmetric regeneration, Development, 2007, 134, 4043–4051
Adell T., Salo E., Boutros M., Bartscherer K., Smed-Evi/Wntless is required for β-catenin-dependent and -independent processes during planarian regeneration, Development, 2009, 136, 905–910
Yuan Z.Q., Zhao B.S., Zhang J.Y., Zhang S.C., Characterization and expression of DjPreb gene in the planarian Dugesia japonica, Mol. Biol., 2010, 44, 8–13
Scimone M.L., Meisel J., Reddien P. W., The Mi-2-like Smed-CHD4 gene is required for stem cell differentiation in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, J. Dev., 2010, 137, 1231–1241
Fernandéz-Taboada E., Moritz S., Zeuschner D., Stehling M., Schöler H.R., Saló E., et al., Smed-smB, a member of the Lsm protein superfamily, is essential for chromatoid body organization and planarian stem cell proliferation, J. Dev., 2010, 137, 1055–1065
Pagan O.R., Rowlands A.L., Urban K.R., Toxicity and behavioral effects of dimethylsulfoxide in planarian, Neurosci. Lett., 2006, 407, 274–278
Lau A.H., Knakievicz T., Pra D., Erdtmann B., Freshwater planarians as novel organisms for genotoxicity testing: Analysis of chromosome aberrations, Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2007, 48, 475–482
Zhang X.F., Zhao B.S., Pang Q.X., Yi H.Y., Xue M.M., Zhang B.W., Toxicity and behavioral effects of Cadmium in planaria (Dugesia japonica Ichikawa et Kawakatsu), Fresenius Environ. Bull., 2010, 19, 2895–2900
Tazaki K., Orii H., The body margin of the planarian Dugesia japonica: characterization by the expression of an intermediate filament gene, Dev. Genes Evol., 2002, 212, 365–373
Cebria F., Newmark P.A., Morphogenesis defects are associated with abnormal nervous system regeneration following roboA RNAi in planarians, J. Dev., 2007, 134, 833–837
Morita M., Phagocytic response of planarian reticular cells of heat-killed bacteria, Hydrobologia, 1991, 227, 193–199
Pang Q.X., Liu X.M., Zhao B.S., Jiang Y.S., Su F., Zhang X.F., et al., Detection and characterization of phenoloxidase in the freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica, Comp. Biochem. Phys. B, 2010, 157, 54–58
Bradford M.M., A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilising the principle of protein dye binding, Anal. Biochem., 1976, 72, 248–254
Bing D.H., Weyand J.G., Stavitsky A.B., Hemagglutination with aldehyde-fixed erythrocytes for assay of antigens and antibodies, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 1967, 124, 1166–1170
Davis B.J., Disk Electrophoresis. II. Method and Application to Human Serum Proteins, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., 1964, 121, 404–427
Fairbanks G., Steck T.L., Wallace D.F.H., Electrophoretic analysis of the major polypeptide of the human erythrocyte membrane, Biochem. J., 1971, 10, 2606–2617
Laemmli U.K., Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4, Nature, 1970, 227, 680–685
Iwanaga S., Lee B.L., Recent advances in the innate immunity of invertebrate animals, J. Biochem. Mol. Biol., 2005, 38, 128–150
Zheng P., Wang H., Zhao J., Song L., Qiu L.M., Dong C., et al., A lectin (CfLec-2) aggregating Staphylococcus haemolyticus from scallop Chlamys farreri, Fish Shellfish Immunol., 2008, 24, 286–293
Drickamer K., Ca2t-dependent carbohydraterecognition domains in animal proteins, Curr. Opin. Struc. Biol., 1993, 3, 393–400
Ito S., Shimizu M., Nagatsuka M., Kitajima S., Honda M., Tsuchiya T., et al., High molecular weight lectin isolated from the mucus of the giant African snail Achatina fulica, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 2011, 75, 20–25
Matsui T., Ozeki Y., Suzuki M., Hino A., Titani K., Purification and characterization of two Ca++-dependent lectins from coelomic plasma of sea cucumber, Stichopus japonicus, J. Biochem., 1994, 116, 1127–1133
Hatakeyama T., Kohzaki H., Nagatomo H., Yamasaki N., Purification and characterization of four Ca2+-dependent lectins from the marine invertebrate Cucumaria echinata, J. Biochem., 1994, 116, 209–214
Wang H., Song L., Li C., Zhao J., Zhang H., Ni D., et al., Cloning and characterization of a novel C-type lectin from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri, Mol. Immunol., 2007, 4, 722–731
Mojica E.E., Merca F.E., Isolation and partial characterization of a lectin from the internal organs of the sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra Jaeger), Int. J. Zool. Res., 2005, 1, 59–65
Cominetti M.R., Marques M.R.F., Lorenzini D.M., Löfgrena S.E., Daffrec S., Barracco M.A., Characterization and partial purification of a lectin from the hemolymph of the white shrimp Litopenaeus schmitti, Dev. Comp. Immunol., 2002, 26, 715–721
Yang H.J., Luo T., Li F., Li S.J., Xu X., Purification and characterisation of a calcium-independent lectin (PjLec) from the haemolymph of the shrimp Penaeus japonicus, Fish Shellfish Immunol., 2007, 22, 88–97
Vazquez L., Maldonado G., Agundis C., Perez A., Cooper E.L., Zenteno E., Participation of a sialic acid-specific lectin from freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii hemocytes in the recognition of non-self cells, J. Exp. Zool., 1997, 279, 265–272
Sarbadhikary S.B., Bhadra R., Immunomodulatory stimulation of an invertebrate circulatory lectin by its haptenic molecules of pathogenic origin, Dev. Comp. Immunol., 1990, 14, 31–38
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Pang, Q., Liu, X., Zhao, B. et al. Purification, characterization and induction of a C-type lectin in the freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica . cent.eur.j.biol. 7, 354–361 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0014-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0014-7