title: Leczyme: a new candidate drug for cancer therapy.
abstract: Sialic acid-binding lectin (SBL), isolated from oocytes of Rana catesbeiana, is leczyme and has both lectin and ribonuclease (RNase) activities. A remarkable antitumor effect of SBL has also been reported. SBL agglutinates various kinds of tumor cells but not normal cells. SBL agglutination activity is not affected by mono- or oligosaccharides. However, SBL-induced agglutination and antitumor effects are inhibited by sialomucin but not asialomucin. In addition, SBL has very little effect on sialidase-treated cells. SBL causes cancer-selective induction of apoptosis by multiple signaling pathways, which target RNA. Synergistic antitumor effects with other molecules, such as tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis ligand (TRAIL) and interferon- γ (IFN-γ), have been reported. Thus, SBL may be a novel candidate molecule for anticancer drug development. Sialoglycoconjugates on the tumor cell surface may be associated with lectin activity and antitumor effects of SBL. We review the properties of SBL, particularly its lectin, RNase, and antitumor activities, and comprehensively examine the potential application of SBL for clinical purposes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Recognition Study, Institute of Molecular Biomembrane and Glycobiology, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tatsuta
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Recognition Study, Institute of Molecular Biomembrane and Glycobiology, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Recognition Study, Institute of Molecular Biomembrane and Glycobiology, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohta
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9499-9035
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Microbiology and Functional Morphology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Nagasaki International University, 2825-7 Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo, Nagasaki 859-3298, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Recognition Study, Institute of Molecular Biomembrane and Glycobiology, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosono
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Recognition Study, Institute of Molecular Biomembrane and Glycobiology, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nitta
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D029845:Amphibian Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011892:Rana catesbeiana; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D029845:Amphibian Proteins; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D037102:Lectins; D012260:Ribonucleases; C448662:leczyme protein, Rana