Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that play vital roles in many biological processes. In this study, lectins from three Egyptian cultivars (fava bean, lentil, and pea) were isolated by precipitation with different concentrations of ammonium sulfate. The purification process was performed by affinity chromatography using mannose agarose. The highest concentration of purified lectins (1.48 mg/g) was recorded in pea at 90% saturation. SDS-PAGE of the purified lectins revealed bands of low molecular weights (14 to 18 kDa). The complete amino acid sequences of purified lectins were assessed using mass spectrometry (MS), which indicated the presence of the peptides favin, p54, and psl in fava bean, lentil, and pea, respectively. The lectins showed antimicrobial activity. The highest inhibition zone (35 mm) was measured with lectin purified from lentil against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, followed by pea lectin (33.4 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145. To the best of our knowledge, the legume lectins in this study are the first lectins to exhibit antifungal activity against Candida albicans, with the maximum inhibition zone (25.1 mm) observed with purified lectins of fava bean. Additionally, the first scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showing agglutination and clumping of microbial cells exposed to tested lectins are provided. These findings proved that Egyptian legume lectins are distinct from other lectins reported in previous studies and demonstrated their potential as antimicrobial agents against human pathogenic microorganisms.

中文翻译：

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从三种埃及豆科种子中纯化的凝集素的表征和抗菌活性。


凝集素是碳水化合物结合蛋白，在许多生物过程中发挥着重要作用。在这项研究中，通过用不同浓度的硫酸铵沉淀来分离来自三个埃及品种（蚕豆、扁豆和豌豆）的凝集素。使用甘露糖琼脂糖通过亲和层析进行纯化过程。豌豆中纯化凝集素的最高浓度（1.48 mg/g）达到 90% 饱和度。纯化凝集素的 SDS-PAGE 显示低分子量条带（14 至 18 kDa）。使用质谱 (MS) 评估纯化凝集素的完整氨基酸序列，表明蚕豆、扁豆和豌豆中分别存在肽 favin、p54 和 psl。凝集素显示出抗菌活性。使用从扁豆中纯化的凝集素针对金黄色葡萄球菌 ATCC 6538 测量出最高抑菌圈（35 毫米），其次是针对铜绿假单胞菌 ATCC 10145 的豌豆凝集素（33.4 毫米）。据我们所知，本研究中的豆类凝集素是第一个对白色念珠菌表现出抗真菌活性的凝集素，用纯化的蚕豆凝集素观察到最大抑制区（25.1毫米）。此外，还提供了第一张扫描电子显微镜（SEM）图像，显示暴露于测试凝集素的微生物细胞的凝集和聚集。这些发现证明埃及豆类凝集素与之前研究中报道的其他凝集素不同，并证明了它们作为针对人类病原微生物的抗菌剂的潜力。