Scientists often discover disease - contend compound in all sorts of weird and wondrous spot . Anti - cancer molecules have been found in corals andwasp venomof all spot , and antibacterial agents have been sourced from the promising blue blood ofhorseshoe crabs . Now , to total to this bizarre lean , it turns out that bananas might presently be added to our antiviral armamentarium .
Sounds rummy , but banana acquire a particular carbohydrate binding protein – lectin – called BanLec that sticks to cellular telephone anatomical structure , or glycans , containing the simple sugar mannose . Like other lectins that aim the same matter , BanLec functions as a so - called “ T cell mitogen , ” mean it stimulates cell division in this type of immune cellphone upon binding .
Conveniently for scientist , certain viruses , like HIV , also control like sugar molecule on their aerofoil , and when BanLec grasp onto them it efficaciously dissemble as a roadblock to cubicle entryway , meaning the virus ca n’t get inside and steal the innkeeper ’s machinery to retroflex . But there is a taking into custody ( of course ): prompting resistant cell to separate in the presence of contagion can lead to systemic inflammation and in reality exacerbate the infection as it provide the virus with a greater puddle of susceptible cadre to infect and thus conduct to others .
So what scientists from theUniversity of Michigandecided to do was Scomber japonicus with BanLec to see if they could separate the antiviral and mitogenic effects of this lectin without compromise its good activities . Combining molecular and sophisticated tomography techniques , the team discover that just one unsubdivided substitution in the protein ’s building block , or amino group acid , sequence significantly reduced BanLec ’s mitogenicity yet preserved its broad - spectrum antiviral activity .
BanLec actually needs to simultaneously stick to two receptors on T cadre to wield its mitogenic result , and what this amino group acid trade did was keep this so - call “ cross - linking ” of receptors while still earmark bind to the cell . And when the squad tested it outin vitro , they found that the modified protein was able to keep not only HIV from getting inside cells , but also hepatitis C and grippe virus .
“ One major vantage of designer lectins lies in the fact that the risk of resistor is lower , because glycans can not be vary as easily as protein structures , ” study author Hans - Joachim Gabius from Ludwig - Maximilians - University say in astatement .
And that is a particularly desirable feature for virus that have a tendency to apace mutate and evade drug treatments . But whether or not the molecule is safe or good in humans remains to be seen , so hopefully they can push forward with further studies to find out .
The oeuvre has been put out in the journalCell .
