Mitogenic activity of CEL-I, an N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-specific C-type lectin, isolated from the marine invertebrate Cucumaria echinata (Holothuroidea)

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2010;74(8):1613-6. doi: 10.1271/bbb.100207. Epub 2010 Aug 7.

Abstract

An N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-specific Ca(2+)-dependent lectin (C-type lectin), isolated from the marine invertebrate Holothuroidea (Cucumaria echinata), CEL-I, showed potent mitogenic activity toward normal mouse spleen cells. The mitogenic activity of CEL-I, which reached a maximum at 100 microg/ml, was inhibited by GalNAc in a concentration-dependent manner. The mitogenic effect of CEL-I at 10 microg/ml on T cell- enriched splenocytes was at a similar level due to a well-known T cell mitogen, concanavalin A (Con A), at 10 microg/ml. Furthermore, CEL-I evoked a mitogenic response from nude mouse spleen cells, while no significant effects of Con A on this cell population were observed over a wide range of concentrations. These results suggest that CEL-I is a potent mitogenic lectin with the ability to stimulate both T and B cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylgalactosamine / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Cucumaria / chemistry*
  • Lectins, C-Type / isolation & purification*
  • Lectins, C-Type / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mitogens / isolation & purification*
  • Mitogens / metabolism
  • Mitogens / pharmacology*
  • Mitosis / drug effects
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / drug effects
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Lectins, C-Type
  • Mitogens
  • Acetylgalactosamine