Produção e purificação parcial de IgY anti-lectina de sementes de Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr) (Leguminosae) em galinhas poedeiras

Abstract

Lectins are a group of proteins present in various living organisms, particularly in plants and especially in Leguminosae seeds. Among this family, a species that stands out for having large amount of lectin in the seed is the Canavalia brasiliensis. One approach for the investigation of lectins on biological systems is the detection there of by techniques involving antibody. Such techniques may include from classical immunochemical assays (immunodiffusion, immunoelectrophoresis and rocketimunoeletroforese) to ELISA experiments and advanced microscopy techniques. In this sense, antibodies become biotechnological tools invaluable since they are capable of specifically recognizing epitopes of the target molecules. Immunoglobulins (Igs) are proteins present in high concentration in the blood plasma of mammals. They are vectors of humoral immunity, with the primary function to join the foreign antigens to the individual so as to neutralize them. In the case of poultry the main immunoglobulin class (IgYs) can be found not only in blood, but also in egg yolk. This fact enables fast and efficient purification of these molecules facilitating its use as biotechnological inputs. Thus, this study aimed to produce antibodies against the lectin extracted from Canavalia brasiliensis seed (ConBr) (Fabaceae) in laying hens, implementing production methodology of new biotechnological inputs for the study of lectins. For this laying hens were immunized with 200 or 400μg of lectin Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr) for 15 weeks at 10-day intervals. Collected eggs from vaccinated birds had their isolated and precipitated yolk in 0-30% fraction with ammonium sulfate for partial purificaçãoo of IgYs. Confirmation of the presence of antibodies was made by immunodiffusion assays agarose gel. The fraction showed 0-30%, from the first week after the immunization, capable of recognizing ConBr IgYs. This profile appeared in all groups over the 15-week experiment. The production of specific IgYs against the lectin from Canavalia brasiliensis (ConBr) proved feasible and remained throughout the experiment, possibly in reasonable quantities. In this sense, IgYs produced in this work provide a powerful biotechnological tool to be made available for future studies.