Characterization of a methionine-rich protein from the seeds of Cereus jamacaru Mill. (Cactaceae) <A NAME="Home"></A>

Abstract

We describe here the isolation and characterization of a major albumin from the seeds of Cereus jamacaru (Cactaceae), to which we gave the trivial name of cactin. This protein has a molecular mass of 11.3 kDa and is formed by a light chain (3.67 kDa) and a heavy chain (7.63 kDa). This protein was isolated using a combination of gel filtration chromatography and reverse-phase HPLC. The amino acid composition of cactin was determined and found to resemble that of the 2S seed reserve protein from the Brazil nut, a protein remarkable for its high methionine content. The usefulness of cactin as a molecular marker in the taxonomy of the Cactaceae is discussed.

Cereus jamacaru DC. (Cactaceae): From 17 th century naturalists to modern day scientific and technological prospecting

“…Mandacaru has a very thick woody cladode, which makes it useful for the construction of doors, spoons, windows, foundations and roofs of houses by low-income people (Aragão et al 2000;Alves et al 2007;Lucena et al 2012b;Sales et al 2014). Mandacaru is also used for other types of rural construction, such as hedges (Lucena et al 2012b).…”

Food Plants in the Caatinga

“…Medicinal properties have been attributed to the mandacaru, for example, as infusion for treatment of various diseases, including renal, hepatic, respiratory, stomach, and sinus problems (Agra et al 2007;Albuquerque et al 2007;Saraiva et al 2015;Silva et al 2014). Other studies have reported the cytotoxic activity of an aqueous extract (non-protein) from the stem (Silva 2015); antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract from the stem (Davet et al 2009); as well as the purification and characterization of two proteins from C. jamacaru seeds (Aragão et al 2000;da Costa et al 2001).…”

Cereus Jamacaru D.C. Overwier: Biotechnological Uses and Agricultural Relevance

“…The crossing of C. jamacaru and Cereus peruvianus also can be performed to increase the germination ratio in 94.6%, seed weight and the stem diameter and to generate higher seedlings [51]. Following High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the major macromolecule find in seeds of C. jamacaru is "cactin", a protein with 5319 k Da and composition similar to several proteins from the 2S albumin storage protein family [52], used as chemical marker in taxonomic studies with species of the family Cactaceae [53].…”