Title:Tuber Lectins with Potentially Exploitable Bioactivities
Volume: 25
Issue: 42
Author(s): Randy Chi Fai Cheung, Jack Ho Wong*, Tzi Bun Ng*, Ryno Naude*, Krzysztof Rolka*, Ryan Tse, Tak Fu Tse*, Helen Chan*Stephen Cho Wing Sze*
Affiliation:
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,China
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,China
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth,South Africa
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Sobieskiego 18, 80-952 Gdansk,Poland
- Vita Green Pharmaceutical [Hong Kong] Ltd, Hong Kong Institute of Medical Research, and Genning Partners Company Limited, Hong Kong,China
- Vita Green Pharmaceutical [Hong Kong] Ltd, Hong Kong Institute of Medical Research, and Genning Partners Company Limited, Hong Kong,China
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong,China
Keywords:
Antimicrobial, antioxidative, antitumor, hypoglycemic, immunomodulatory, insecticidal, mitogenic,
nematicidal.
Abstract: Lectins are a group of proteins or glycoproteins with various potentially exploitable
bioactivities and have been capturing more interest recently. They have been isolated and reported
from various tissues of a diversity of plant species. Tubers are modified and enlarged
plant structures derived from stems or roots that are used for nutrient storage and asexual reproduction.
A number of plants such as yam, taro and potato are grown for their edible tubers,
and lectins are found to be one of the major storage proteins. These lectins exhibit potent bioactivities
encompassing mitogenic, antitumor, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, antioxidative,
hypoglycemic, insecticidal and nematicidal activities. They are potential resources for
development into functional or healthy foods and targets for food protein researchers.