Nebrodeolysin, a novel hemolytic protein from mushroom Pleurotus nebrodensis with apoptosis-inducing and anti-HIV-1 effects.

A novel hemolysin was isolated from the edible mushroom Pleurotus nebrodensis by ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose and Sephacryl S-100. The hemolysin from Pleurotus nebrodensis hemolysin (nebrodeolysin) is a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of approximately 27 kDa as determined by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE. Nebrodeolysin exhibited remarkable hemolytic activity towards rabbit erythrocytes and caused efflux of potassium ions from erythrocytes. Subsequently, this hemolysin showed strong cytotoxicity against Lu-04, Bre-04, HepG2, L929, and HeLa cells. It was also found that this hemolysin induced apoptosis in L929 and HeLa cells as evidenced by microscopic observations and DNA ladder, respectively. Moreover, this hemolysin was shown to possess anti-HIV-1 activity in CEM cell culture.