title: Erinacin, an antihaemorrhagic factor from the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus.
abstract: An antihaemorrhagic factor named erinacin was purified from the skeletal muscle extract of the European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus, by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by various steps of ion-exchange (DEAE-cellulose), absorption chromatography (hydroxylapatite), and gel filtration (cellofine gel). A 625-fold purification was achieved with an overall yield of 19% antihaemorrhagic activity. The protein effectively inhibited the activity of Bothrops jararaca venom haemorrhagin and did not inhibit the enzymatic activity of trypsin and chymotrypsin. Erinacin is a large molecule (about 1,000,000 mol. wt). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of two subunits: one with an apparent mol. wt of 35,000 forming a larger subunit (350,000) by cross-linking with disulfide bridges, and a second with a mol. wt of 39,000 without disulfides. Dissociation of erinacin into its subunits resulted in complete loss of its antihaemorrhagic activity.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum der Rechtsmedizin, University of Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mebs
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omori-Satoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamakawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000997:Antivenins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006364:Hedgehogs; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D001798:Blood Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; C003941:antihemorrhagic factor; C105466:erinacin protein, Erinaceus europaeus