Abstract
Seaweed lectins, especially high-mannose-specific lectins from red algae, have been identified as potential antiviral agents that are capable of blocking the replication of various enveloped viruses like influenza virus, herpes virus, and HIV-1 in vitro. Their antiviral activity depends on the recognition of glycoprotein receptors on the surface of sensitive host cells—in particular, hemagglutinin for influenza virus or gp120 for HIV-1, which in turn triggers fusion events, allowing the entry of the viral genome into the cells and its subsequent replication. The diversity of glycans present on the S-glycoproteins forming the spikes covering the SARS-CoV-2 envelope, essentially complex type N-glycans and high-mannose type N-glycans, suggests that high-mannose-specific seaweed lectins are particularly well adapted as glycan probes for coronaviruses. This review presents a detailed study of the carbohydrate-binding specificity of high-mannose-specific seaweed lectins, demonstrating their potential to be used as specific glycan probes for coronaviruses, as well as the biomedical interest for both the detection and immobilization of SARS-CoV-2 to avoid shedding of the virus into the environment. The use of these seaweed lectins as replication blockers for SARS-CoV-2 is also discussed.
Highlights
The occurrence of lectins, formerly designated as hemagglutinins due to their capacity to agglutinate red blood cells from humans and various animals, in marine seaweeds has been recognized for a long time, following the pioneering works of Boyd et al [1] and Blunden et al [2] on British marine algae
We present a detailed analysis of the carbohydrate-binding specificities of seaweed lectins that could be used as glycan probes for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
Twolectins other Manβ-sandwich structure have been identified in the green-yellow alga Nannochloropsis gaditana (BU14), specific lectins with a β-sandwich structure have been identified in the green-yellow alga gaditana (BU14), and the green alga Ostreococcus tauri (OtL) [49] (Table 1)
Summary
The occurrence of lectins, formerly designated as hemagglutinins due to their capacity to agglutinate red blood cells from humans and various animals, in marine seaweeds has been recognized for a long time, following the pioneering works of Boyd et al [1] and Blunden et al [2] on British marine algae. Of the infected cells are ready for the replication of the virus and the subsequent release of dying host cells This viral cycle is quite common among viruses, but SARS-CoV-2 is different from virions out of the dying host cells. CoV-2 spikes [25,26,35], high-mannose-specific seaweed lectins appear as relevant glycan probes analytical purposes, e.g., the detection or immobilization of the virions, and for biomedical purposes, both for analytical detection thereview, virions,we and for biomedical e.g., preventing thepurposes, replicatione.g., andthe fusion eventsorofimmobilization. We present a detailed analysis of the carbohydrate-binding specificities of seaweed lectins that could be used as glycan probes for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
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