Glucose-Binding Dioclea bicolor Lectin (DBL): Purification, Characterization, Structural Analysis, and Antibacterial...

In this study, we purified a lectin isolated from the seeds of Dioclea bicolor (DBL) via affinity purification. Electrophoresis analysis revealed that DBL had three bands, α, β, and γ chains, with molecular masses of approximately 29, 14, and 12 kDa, respectively. Gel filtration chromatography revealed that the native form of DBL had a molecular mass of approximately 100 kDa, indicating that it is a tetramer. Interestingly, DBL-induced hemagglutination was inhibited by several glucosides, mannosides, ampicillin, and tetracycline with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 1.56-50 mM. Analysis of the complete amino acid sequence of DBL revealed the presence of 237 amino acids with high similarity to other Diocleinae lectins. Circular dichroism showed the prominent β-sheet secondary structure of DBL. Furthermore, DBL structure prediction revealed a Discrete Optimized Protein Energy (DOPE) score of -26,642.69141/Normalized DOPE score of -1.84041. The DBL monomer was found to consist a β-sandwich based on its 3D structure. Molecular docking showed the interactions between DBL and α-D-glucose, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, α-D-mannose, α-methyl-D-mannoside, ampicillin, and tetracycline. In addition, DBL showed antimicrobial activity with an MIC of 125 μg/mL and exerted synergistic effects in combination with ampicillin and tetracycline (fractional inhibitory concentration index ≤ 0.5). Additionally, DBL significantly inhibited biofilm formation and showed no toxicity in murine fibroblasts (p < 0.05). These results suggest that DBL exhibits antimicrobial activity and works synergistically with antibiotics.