title: Bauhinia forficata lectin (BfL) induces cell death and inhibits integrin-mediated adhesion on MCF7 human breast cancer cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plant lectins have attracted great interest in cancer studies due to their antitumor activities. These proteins or glycoproteins specifically and reversibly bind to different types of carbohydrates or glycoproteins. Breast cancer, which presents altered glycosylation of cell surface glycoproteins, is one of the most frequent malignant diseases in women. In this work, we describe the effect of the lectin Bauhinia forficata lectin (BfL), which was purified from B. forficata Link subsp. forficata seeds, on the MCF7 human breast cancer cellular line, investigating the mechanisms involved in its antiproliferative activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  MCF7 cells were treated with BfL. Viability and adhesion alterations were evaluated using flow cytometry and western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BfL inhibited the viability of the MCF7 cell line but was ineffective on MDA-MB-231 and MCF 10A cells. It inhibits MCF7 adhesion on laminin, collagen I and fibronectin, decreases α1, α6 and β1 integrin subunit expression, and increases α5 subunit expression. BfL triggers necrosis and secondary necrosis, with caspase-9 inhibition. It also causes deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation, which leads to cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and a decrease in the expression of the regulatory proteins pRb and p21.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BfL shows selective cytotoxic effect and adhesion inhibition on MCF7 breast cancer cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cell death induction and inhibition of cell adhesion may contribute to understanding the action of lectins in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana C C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudia A A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Paula
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Joana G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Biofísica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edgar J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Paredes-Gamero
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Pacheco Leão 915, 22460-030 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angela M S F
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Misako U
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Avenida Professor Moraes Rego s/n, 50670-910 Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Tereza S
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Três de Maio 100, 04044-020 São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: olivaml.bioq@epm.br.
authors.forename: Maria Luiza V
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Oliva
mesh_terms: D036481:Bauhinia / Q000737:chemistry; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D061986:MCF-7 Cells
chemical_list: D016023:Integrins; D037102:Lectins
keywords: Bauhinia forficata lectin; Breast cancer; Cell adhesion; Cell death; Integrin