Taro (Colocasia esculenta) corm is a rustic staple food, rich in small starch granules, fibers, and bioactive phytoconstituents such as flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols, tannins, phytates, micronutrients, and proteins, including tarin, a GNA‐related lectin. Tarin exhibits recognized biocide activities against viruses and insects, has antitumoral properties and is an immunomodulator molecule candidate. It has been isolated in highly purified form (>90%) from taro corms through low‐cost and single‐step affinity chromatography. It comprises 2‐domain 27 to 28 kDa protomer, posttranslational cleaved into 2 nonidentical monomers, 11.9 and 12.6 kDa, held by noncovalent binding. At least 10 tarin isoforms sharing over 70% similarity have been described. The monomers assume the β‐prism II fold, consisting of 3 antiparallel β‐sheets formed by 4 β‐strands each. Tarin exhibits an expanded‐binding site for complex and high‐mannose N‐glycan chains 49, 212, 213, 358, 465, and 477 found on cell surface antigens of viruses, insects, cancer, and hematopoietic cells, explaining its broad biological activities. Tarin may stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses, enabling hosts to recover from infections or immunosuppressed status inherent to several pathological conditions. In a murine model, tarin stimulates the in vitro and in vivo proliferation of total spleen and bone marrow cells, especially B lymphocytes. Granulocyte repopulation has also been demonstrated in long‐term mice bone marrow cell cultures. As a potential immunomodulator, tarin, administered to immunosuppressed mice, attenuated cyclophosphamide‐induced leukopenia. We propose a molecular model that unites the potential prophylactic and therapeutic action of tarin on hematopoietic and cancer cells, as a potential immunomodulator.

中文翻译：

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Tarin，一种在芋头 (Colocasia esculenta) 中发现的潜在免疫调节剂和 COX 抑制剂凝集素。

芋头 ( Colocasia esculenta ) 球茎是一种质朴的主食，富含小淀粉颗粒、纤维和生物活性植物成分，如黄酮类、生物碱、甾醇、单宁、植酸盐、微量营养素和蛋白质，包括塔林 (一种 GNA 相关凝集素)。Tarin 表现出公认的针对病毒和昆虫的杀菌活性，具有抗肿瘤特性，是一种候选免疫调节分子。通过低成本的单步亲和层析，它已从芋头球茎中分离出高度纯化的形式（> 90％）。它包含 27 至 28 kDa 的 2 个结构域原聚体，翻译后裂解成 2 个不同的单体，11.9 和 12.6 kDa，通过非共价结合固定。至少有 10 种 tarin 异构体已被描述，相似度超过 70%。单体呈 β 棱镜 II 折叠，由 3 个反向平行的 β 片层组成，每个 β 片层由 4 条 β 链形成。Tarin 对病毒、昆虫、癌症和造血细胞的细胞表面抗原上发现的复杂和高甘露糖 N 聚糖链 49、212、213、358、465 和 477 具有扩展的结合位点，这解释了其广泛的生物活性。Tarin 可以刺激先天性和适应性免疫反应，使宿主能够从感染或几种病理状况固有的免疫抑制状态中恢复过来。在小鼠模型中，tarin 可刺激总脾细胞和骨髓细胞（尤其是 B 淋巴细胞）的体外和体内增殖。粒细胞再增殖也在长期小鼠骨髓细胞培养中得到证实。作为一种潜在的免疫调节剂，塔林（tarin）给予免疫抑制小鼠，可以减轻环磷酰胺引起的白细胞减少症。我们提出了一种分子模型，将 tarin 作为潜在的免疫调节剂对造血细胞和癌细胞的潜在预防和治疗作用结合起来。