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Purification and Characterization of Aplysianin E, an Antitumor Factor from Sea Hare Eggs

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, Sagamiko-cho, Tsukui-gun, Kanagawa 199-01 [J. K., M. Y.], and School of Fisheries Sciences, Kitasato University, Sanriku, Iwate 022-01 [H. K.], Japan

An antitumor factor, aplysianin E, inducing tumor lysis was purified to apparent homogeneity from the supernatant of a homogenate of eggs of the sea hare Aplysia kurodai. Purified aplysianin E was a 250-kDa glycoprotein containing three different subunits. This factor was half-maximally active at 2–114 ng protein/ml and lysed all the tumor cells tested but did not lyse normal white or red blood cells. Aplysianin E was labile on treatments with heat, low pH, urea, guanidine, sodium lauryl sulfate, and periodate, but not with proteases or organic solvents. Aplysianin E completely inhibited the syntheses of DNA, RNA, and protein by tumor cells within 2 h and caused their complete cytolysis within 15 h. Tumor lysis by aplysianin E was inhibited by N-acetylneuraminic acid, suggesting that recognition of the sugar moiety is a key step in cytolysis induced by aplysianin E. Aplysianin E also prolonged the survival of mice bearing syngeneic MM46 ascites or solid tumors. These results suggest that aplysianin E, found in an invertebrate, the sea hare, is a new antitumor factor.

¹ To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 4/22/87. Revised 7/24/87. Accepted 7/30/87.

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