Pokeweed mitogen is a

mitogen A mitogen is a small bioactive protein or peptide that induces a cell to begin cell division, or enhances the rate of division (mitosis). Mitogenesis is the induction (triggering) of mitosis, typically via a mitogen. The cell cycle Mitogens a ...

derived from the roots of ''

Phytolacca americana ''Phytolacca americana'', also known as American pokeweed, pokeweed, poke sallet, pokeberry, dragonberries, pigeonberry weed, and inkberry, is a List of poisonous plants, poisonous, herbaceous perennial plant in the pokeweed family Phytolaccaceae ...

''. It functions as a

lectin Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar Moiety (chemistry), groups that are part of other molecules, so cause agglutination (biology), agglutination of particular cells or precipitation of glycoconjugates an ...

and a mitotic stimulus for the division of lymphocytes.

Biological functions

This lectin specifically induces the proliferation of

B cell B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of the lymphocyte subtype. They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system. B cells produce antibody molecules which may be either secreted or inserted into the plasm ...

plasma cell Plasma cells, also called plasma B cells or effector B cells, are white blood cells that originate in the lymphoid organs as B cells and secrete large quantities of proteins called antibodies in response to being presented specific substances ca ...

s and

T cell T cells (also known as T lymphocytes) are an important part of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell receptor (TCR) on their cell ...

s. This lectin contains

Toll-like receptor 4 Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), also designated as CD284 (cluster of differentiation 284), is a key activator of the innate immune response and plays a central role in the fight against bacterial infections. TLR4 is a transmembrane protein of approx ...

(TLR4) proteins which signals for the B-cell for a proliferative response. B cells are shown to have no response to pure PWM without the Toll-like receptor suggesting that PWM inducing ability relies on TLR4 protein's presence for the signaling of B-cells and the response.

Research

PWM can contribute to B-cell assay or other lymphocytes for testing. The amplified number of proliferated cells makes it easier to test different lymphocyte functions, biological mechanisms, and response to different stimuli. Pokeweed mitogen is also used in research studies to stimulate different lymphocytes and observe change. When looking at deficiency of CD26 in

knockout mice A knockout mouse, or knock-out mouse, is a genetically modified mouse (''Mus musculus'') in which researchers have inactivated, or " knocked out", an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. They are importan ...

, after stimulation with PWM the role of CD26 in development of CD4+ T cells was observed. Another study where PWM was used as a stimulus was in the proteome analysis of lymphocytes of different immune phenotypes in cows. Other research involves the PWM lectin playing a role in cancer detection. The PWM lectin was found to have affinity for human colorectal cancers indicating its usefulness in analysis of

glycoconjugates In molecular biology and biochemistry, glycoconjugates are the classification family for carbohydrates – referred to as glycans – which are covalently linked with chemical species such as proteins, peptides, lipids, and other compounds. Gly ...

found in colorectal cancer and detection of cancerous tissue.

Clinical significance

Pokeweed mitogen has the ability to play a role in

immunology Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...

. It can test for

immunodeficiency Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromise, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that aff ...

by inducing cell proliferation and test for abnormal counts of lymphocytes. It can also induce proliferation of cells that target tumors, which is useful for the treatment of cancer. Other studies in mice showed that PWM contributes to weight-loss effects and increased glucose uptake which makes this lectin a subject for implementation in diabetes or obesity in humans.

References

External links

* {{Lectins Phytolacca Plant lectins