Aspectos estruturais do efeito vasorelaxante de lectinas de leguminosas

Abstract

Lectins are multiactive proteins that have at least one domain capable of recognizing specific carbohydrates reversibly without changing them. The legume lectin family is a group of this protein class further studied, in particular highlighted the subtribe Diocleinae. These lectins have a high degree of structural similarity, but it does not follow the biological activities. This variability must reside in details, small differences that can be analyzed in studies based in structures. The primary sequence of C. grandiflora lectin (ConGF) shows great similarity with lectins of the same genus, but it has the largest number of mutations representative of the genus Dioclea, characterizing it as the Canavalia subgenus closest to Dioclea, and it is the most primitive among the canavalias. ConGF presented relaxing effect on smooth muscles of endothelial aortas of rats; however, the effects are weak against other Diocleinae lectins. The justification for this does not lie in a low structural similarity but in small changes in the orientation of key amino acids residues, which become responsible for biological diversity in action presented here, as required in other phenomena elicited by lectins. For Cymbosema roseum lectin (CRLI), the relaxing effect was also evaluated and the role of extracellular calcium was observed for this activity. Surprisingly, the calcium was not definitive for determining CRLI mechanism as dependent or independent of calcium ions. Our research has led to the construction of a theory which this lectin has dual mechanism of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation. The first path is based on a specific membrane endothelial receptor able to activate eNOS by calmodulin. The second path relies on the ability of CRLI binding to the glycocalyx heparano sulfate at a domain different from the CRD demonstrated by molecular docking, which explain mechanical activation of eNOS. This proteoglycan is the main mechanoreceptor candidate of shear stress and this phenomenon is the major agent of maintenance of vascular tone by NO production. A lectin from gender Dioclea was also evaluated to increase the range of legume proteins tested. As other lectins of this work, D. sclerocarpa presented the ability to relax smooth muscle of the aorta dependent on the endothelium nitric oxide production. Both its effect and its structure have a high degree of similarity with lectins of the same genus. A feature set corroborates with its low relaxant effect. DSL has a CRD design less favorable for this activity. In addition, the presence of a glutamate at position 205 proved to be a decisive factor in the activity regulation and it negatively modulates Dioclea lectins relaxant effect.