Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research

Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research ISSN 2736-1756 Vol. 19 (4), pp. 001-011, April, 2025. www.internationalscholarsjournals.org/ © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Characterization and Bioactivity of Jatropha curcas Seed Lectin: Insights into Antifungal Applications

Mahmoud A. Al-Saman1,3, Safinaz A. Farfour2,3, Ahmed A. Tayel1,3, Nashwa M. Rizk2,3

1Industrial Biotechnology Department, 2Environmental Biotechnology Department, 3Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), University of Sadat City, Egypt.

Accepted 12 August, 2017

Lectins are non-immune, carbohydrate-binding proteins, which are very specific for sugar moieties and agglutinate cells or precipitate polysaccharides. Lectin from Egyptian Jatropha curcas seeds was isolated and purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation and gel filtration columns chromatography. The purified lectin has a specific activity of 351.5 hemagglutination unit/mg protein and a molecular weight of 28.00 kDa. The hemagglutination activity of lectin was suppressed by D-glucose, D-mannose and D-galactose. The amino acid composition of the purified lectin contained high ratio of acidic amino acids (38.42%), the hydroxy amino acids (11.10%), with minor amounts of sulfur containing amino acids and cysteine. The purified lectin from J. curcas seeds was heat - stable up to 60 ºC with trypsinized cattle erythrocytes and the hemagglutination activity decreased with increasing temperature. The purified lectin was insensitive from acidic to neutral conditions but was markedly affected by basic pH and the hemagglutination activity was encouraged by Mg2+, Ca2+ and Mn2+ ions. The purified lectin showed an antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 70 µg / ml. However, lectin extraction from J. curcas could be recommended as a source for that could be applied as antifungal agent against phytopathogenic fungi.

Keywords: Agglutinin; Hemagglutination activity; Purification; Antifungal; Phytopathogens