Santos, Elizeu Antunes dosSantos, Paula Ivani Medeiros dos2017-03-132017-03-132015-07-10SANTOS, Paula Ivani Medeiros dos. Purificação e caracterização de uma nova lectina com atividade imunomoduladora da esponja Aplysina fulva. 2015. 95f. Tese (Doutorado em Bioquímica) - Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2015.https://repositorio.ufrn.br/jspui/handle/123456789/22224Marine sponges are presented as a rich source of new bioactive compounds of great biotechnological interest. Here in this research we report the purification and characterization of a lectin from Aplysina fulva species, called AFL, that presents immunomodulatory activity, and it was also evaluated whether it possesses cytotoxic effects on cultured cells (normal, tumor and Leishmania). Total proteins were extracted from the sponge with Tris-HCl buffer 20 mM, pH 7.5, and fractionated by precipitation with acetone. The fraction obtained with 1 volume of acetone had greater hemagglutinating activity and was subjected to a column chromatography on guar gum matrix with 20 mM sodium tetraborate buffer, pH 7.5. It was then applied to a Superdex 75 column (AKTA-FPLC) containing 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5. The purity of the lectin was attested in a HILIC (HPLC) column. The sequence of 15 residues of N-terminal amino acid of the lectin was determined by Edman degradation and showed no similarity to any other protein of the known databases. The molecular mass was set at 62 kDa by gel filtration on Superdex 75. Analysis after treatment with reducing agents enabled to deduce that the AFL is a homotetrameryc protein. Their hemagglutinating activity was reduced when the lectin was exposed in an acidic medium (pH <4) or when subjected to temperatures above 60 ° C. AFL showed specificity for partial lactose and D-glucose and D-galactose. The purified lectin LFA showed no cytotoxic effect on cancer cell lines (PANC, HeLa, HT-29, Bf16F10, A549) and fibroblast (MRC5). AFL was able to agglutinate living promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis, and had their activity reversed by the addition of lactose to the test. AFL did not decrease significantly the viability of Leishmania amazonensis. The AFL lectin showed mitogenic activity at concentrations from 40 ug / ml for mononuclear peripheral blood cells (lymphocytes and monocytes). The AFL lectin was able of induce the macrophage murine lineage (RAW264.7) release of TNF-α, but not IL-6 at a concentration of 10.0 mg / mL. When LPA was incubated with spleen cells from BALB / c mice was able to stimulate the production of IFN-γ and to promote the differentiation of T cells to a cellular Th1 immune response. The ability to modulate the immune response of the Th1-type lectins has never been reported in marine sponges. All results confirm the high potential that the lectin AFL, that appears as a new molecule capable of modulating the immune system and can be used as an adjuvant for vaccines against microorganisms, including the gender Leishmania.Acesso AbertoCitotoxicidadeLeishmaniaImunidade celularFator de necrose tumoraldoctoralThesisCNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::BIOQUIMICA