Possible mechanisms of Leukoagglutinin induced apoptosis in human cells in vitro.

Leukoagglutinin is one of the phytohemagglutinin isolectins isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris. In our recent study, we showed that this lectin is able to influence the growth of human cancer cells in vitro. In addition, using the acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, we found that leukoagglutinin can induce apoptosis.

Isolectins of phytohemagglutinin are able to induce apoptosis in HEp-2 carcinoma cells in vitro.

Aim: To study the effects of total phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and its isolectins on cell death and apoptosis in human HEp-2 carcinoma cells and to analyze the possible molecular mechanisms of lectin induced apoptosis.

Materials And Methods: The commercial preparation of the kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) lectins and HEp-2 cells were used. Apoptosis index was determined using acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining.

[Proapoptotic properties of total phytohemagglutinine and its individual isolectins in human cell culture 4BL].

Phytohemagglutinine (PHA) is widely investigated lectin with mitogenic properties. Recently it was shown that PHA is not only cell proliferation inducer, but also has a toxic or cytostatic effect. However concentration dependence and molecular mechanisms of this effect are not enough investigated.

[Ability of lectins to model the action of antibiotics on growth of mutants of Bacillus subtilis].

Using the bacterium B. subtilis as a model and antibiotics as metabolic inhibitors which can suppress replication (mitomycin), transcription (rifampycin) or translation (streptomycin), it is shown that carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins of plant origin) have different action on intracellular processes under study. The effect depends on lectin's structure and on the condition of bacterial reparation/recombination system.

[Using method of DNA microelectrophoresis for the assessment of genotoxic effects of mutagens in cultured human hemopoietic cells].

Formation of single- and double strand breaks in DNA which may be discovered by microelectrophoresis in agarose gel is one of the criterion of genetical lesions in cells as a result of apoptosis or of genotoxic agent action. Genotoxic action of nickel chloride at the level of DNA of the individual cells in the initial culture of human embryonic haemopoietic cells was studied. It has been shown that about 2% cells in the studied in vitro populations were in the apoptosis state.