Lectin from the sea mussel Crenomytilus grayanus and its effects on Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

In this study, the properties of a GalNAc/Gal-specific lectin from the sea mussel Crenomytilus grayanus (CGL) and its effects on Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied. The heat stability of CGL was determined and the free energy change (G') of hemagglutination activity of the lectin in denaturation process was evaluated by Van’t Hoff plot. The amino acid sequences about six segments of CGL were acquired by mass spectrum (MS) and the sequences have no homology with other lectins. In the effect of CGL, it can be observed that CGL can promote the yeast cells growth and ethanol production by yeast cells. In addition, the nitric oxide (NO) production decreases with increasing CGL concentration, except for the concentration of 3.25 mg/l. The results show that CGL is the potential yeast stimulators in fermentation process.

Key words: Lectin, sea mussel, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ethanol, nitric oxide.