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Haemagglutinin of the antarctic seaweed Georgiella confluens (Reinsch) Kylin: isolation and partial characterization

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Abstract

The marine red alga Georgiella confluens collected from Mackellar Inlet, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic, was used in the isolation of a protein with agglutinating activity. The Georgiella confluens haemagglutinin (GCH) was extracted with 20 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, and purified through ion exchange chromatography, followed by affinity chromatography on immobilized porcine stomach mucin. Among the erythrocytes analysed (human A, B and O groups, rabbit and chicken), GCH agglutinated specifically chicken erythrocytes. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the haemagglutinin revealed a single band of 21.5 kDa, while by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 its native molecular mass was 25.5 kDa, suggesting that GCH is a monomeric protein. Haemagglutination studies showed that the GCH activity was stable through temperature variations and did not exhibit divalent cation dependence. Furthermore, the haemagglutinin was inhibited by the complex glycoproteins of porcine stomach mucin and fetuin, whereas the mono-, di-, and trisaccharides tested showed no effect.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the Programa Antártico Brasileiro (PROANTAR) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). Financial support was provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Programa de Financiamiento Basal (PFB) 23. Chile.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil

    B. W. S. Souza, F. K. Andrade & A. L. P. Freitas

  2. Unidade Acadêmica Especializada em Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    D. I. A. Teixeira

  3. Departamento de Ciencias y Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile

    A. Mansilla

  4. Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile

    A. Mansilla

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  1. B. W. S. Souza
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  5. A. L. P. Freitas
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Correspondence to B. W. S. Souza.

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Souza, B.W.S., Andrade, F.K., Teixeira, D.I.A. et al. Haemagglutinin of the antarctic seaweed Georgiella confluens (Reinsch) Kylin: isolation and partial characterization. Polar Biol 33, 1311–1318 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0818-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0818-8

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