Purification of a novel cytolytic protein from albumen gland of the sea hare, Dolabella auricularia.

Abstract

A novel cytolytic factor, dolabellanin A, was purified to apparent homogeneity from the albumen gland of the sea hare Dolabella auricularia. Purified dolabellanin A was a glycoprotein of 250 kilo daltons containing 4 subunits. The amino acid composition and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the factor were also determined. The factor is distinct from antineoplastic glycoproteins previously isolated from another sea hare, Aplysia kurodai. These results suggest that dolabellanin A found in the sea hare of the Dolabella species is a new cytolytic factor.