The fucose-specific lectin ANL from Aspergillus niger possesses anti-cancer activity by inducing the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in hepatocellular and colon cancer cells

High-throughput sequencing reveals the existence of a novel fucose binding lectin gene from the whole gut and fat body tissues of the grub of darkling beetle, Zophobas morio

Fucose binding lectins are a taxonomically, evolutionarily, and ecologically relevant class of lectins that have been identified among a wide range of taxa. These lectins possess a distinctive ability to identify and bind fucose-containing glycans, thereby lending them the ability to function as immune cell mitogens, diagnostic markers and anti-cancer agents. Our preliminary analysis revealed the existence of a single D-fucose binding lectin from the grub serum of the darkling beetle, Z. morio. Here, whole transcriptome analysis using entire gut and fat body tissues of grub of Z. morio with Illumina NovaSeq6000 sequencing platform revealed the existence of a novel fucose binding lectin (ZmFBL) displaying significant similarity to Diaphorina citri fucolectin-3 and possessing fucolectin-tachylectin4-pentraxin domain. Molecular docking between the structure of the predicted FBL transcript from Z. morio and D-fucose demonstrated the lowest binding energy of -5.4 kcal/mol. The MD simulation and MM/PBSA analysis furnished insights into the binding stability of D-fucose and the ZmFBL. A similar transcript was also identified from the fat body transcriptome. A 2.49-fold increase in the ZmFBL expression was observed in the fat body than the whole gut as evidenced from the relative quantitation using RT-PCR.

Lectin-modified drug delivery systems - Recent applications in the oncology field

Chemotherapy with cytotoxic drugs remains the core treatment for cancer but, due to the difficulty to find general and usable biochemical differences between cancer cells and normal cells, many of these drugs are associated with lack of specificity, resulting in side effects and collateral cytotoxicity that impair patients' adherence to therapy. Novel cancer treatments in which the cytotoxic effect is maximized while adverse effects are reduced can be implemented by developing targeted therapies that exploit the specific features of cancer cells, such as the typical expression of aberrant glycans. Modification of drug delivery systems with lectins is one of the strategies to implement targeted chemotherapies, as lectins are able to specifically recognize and bind to cancer-associated glycans expressed at the surface of cancer cells, guiding the drug treatment towards these cells and not affecting healthy ones. In this paper, recent advances on the development of lectin-modified drug delivery systems for targeted cancer treatments are thoroughly reviewed, with a focus on their properties and performance in diverse applications, as well as their main advantages and limitations. The synthesis and analytical characterization of the cited lectin-modified drug delivery systems is also briefly described. A comparison with free-drug treatments and with antibody-modified drug delivery systems is presented, emphasizing the advantages of lectin-modified drug delivery systems. Main constraints and potential challenges of lectin-modified drug delivery systems, including key difficulties for clinical translation of these systems, and the required developments in this area, are also signalled.

Microbial lectins as a potential therapeutics for the prevention of certain human diseases

Lectins are protein or glycoprotein molecules with a specific ability to bind to carbohydrates. From viruses to mammals, they are found in various organisms and exhibit remarkable diverse structures and functions. They are significant contributors to defense mechanisms against microbial attacks in plants. They are also involved in functions such as controlling lymphocyte migration, regulating glycoprotein biosynthesis, cell-cell recognition, and embryonic development in animals. In addition, lectins serve as invaluable molecular tools in various biological and medical disciplines due to their reversible binding ability and enable the monitoring of cell membrane changes in physiological and pathological contexts. Microbial lectins, often referred to as adhesins, play an important role in microbial colonization, pathogenicity, and interactions among microorganisms. Viral lectins are located in the bilayered viral membrane, whereas bacterial lectins are found intracellularly and on the bacterial cell surface. Microfungal lectins are typically intracellular and have various functions in host-parasite interaction, and in fungal growth and morphogenesis. Although microbial lectin studies are less extensive than those of plants and animals, they provide insights into the infection mechanisms and potential interventions. Glycan specificity, essential functions in infectious diseases, and applications in the diagnosis and treatment of viral and bacterial infections are critical aspects of microbial lectin research. In this review, we will discuss the application and therapeutic potential of viral, bacterial and microfungal lectins.

Fucose-binding lectins: purification, characterization and potential biomedical applications

The property of lectins to specifically recognize and bind carbohydrates makes them an excellent candidate in biomedical research. Among them are fucose-binding lectins possessing the capacity to bind fucose are taxonomically, evolutionarily and ecologically significant class of lectins that are identified in a wide range of taxa. Purification of fucose-binding lectins dates back to 1967 when L-fucose binding protein from Lotus tetragonolobus was isolated using a dye that contained three α-L-fucopyranosyl residues. Beginning with that, several FBLs were purified from various animals as well as plant sources that were structurally and functionally characterised. This review focuses on fucose-binding lectins, their occurrence and purification with special emphasis on various strategies adopted to purify them followed by molecular and functional characterization. The exclusive ability to recognize and bind to fucose-containing glycans endows these lectins with the potential to act as anti-cancer agents, diagnostic markers and mitogens for immune cells. Though they have been in research focus for more than half a century with their occurrence reported in various taxa, they still need to be explored for their prospective functions to develop them as a biological tool in biomedical research.