title: Bacteriolytic activity of human interleukin-2.
abstract: In this paper we report the discovery of bacteriolytic activity of an immune system cytokine mediator, interleukin-2. Bacteriolytic activity of interleukin-2 was compared with a well-known bacteriolytic enzyme - chicken egg white lysozyme - by monitoring the lysis of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, the Gram-positive coccus Micrococcus luteus, and the Gram-positive spore-forming bacillus Bacillus subtilis. It was found that interleukin-2 has greater specificity to the Gram-negative bacterium E. coli than does lysozyme. In contrast to chicken egg white lysozyme, interleukin-2 does not lyse the Gram-positive coccus M. luteus and the Gram-positive spore-forming bacillus B. subtilis. These results give a new understanding of the biological functions of interleukin-2, a regulatory protein that plays a role in oncological and infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia. levashov@yahoo.com
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Levashov
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sedov
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Belogurova
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Shipovskov
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Levashov
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000378:metabolism; D001433:Bacteriolysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016982:Micrococcus luteus / Q000378:metabolism; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; C421864:hen egg lysozyme; D009113:Muramidase