Aegerolysins: structure, function, and putative biological role.
Aegerolysins, discovered in fungi, bacteria and plants, are highly similar proteins with interesting biological properties. Certain aegerolysins possess antitumoral, antiproliferative, and antibacterial activities. Further possible medicinal applications include their use in the prevention of atherosclerosis, or as vaccines. Additional biotechnological value of fungal aegerolysins lies in their involvement in development, which could improve cultivation of commercially important edible mushrooms. Besides, new insights on microheterogeneity of raft-like membrane domains could be gained by using aegerolysins as specific markers in cell and molecular biology. Although the exact function of aegerolysins in their producing organisms remains to be explained, they are biochemically well characterized all-beta structured proteins sharing the following common features: low isoelectric points, similar molecular weights (15-17 kDa), and stability in a wide pH range.
Berne
Sabina
S
Medical Centre for Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Lah
Ljerka
L
Sepcić
Kristina
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010940:Plant Proteins; C461279:aegerolysin