Isolation and partial characterization of Rhizolysin, a high molecular weight protein with hemolytic activity, from the jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo

Abstract

L. Cariello, G. Romano, A. Spagnuolo and L. Zanetti. Isolation and partial characterization of Rhizolysin, a high molecular weight protein with hemolytic activity, from the jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo. Toxicon 26, 1057–1065, 1988.—A new cytolysin has been isolated from the nematocysts of the jellyfish, Rhizostoma pulmo, and named rhizolysin. The hemolysin has a mol. wt of approximately 260,000, a sedimentation coefficient of 10.3 S and is rod-shaped with a calculated axial ratio of about 1:5. It appears to be composed of three subunits with a pI value near 7.8. Rhizolysin shows no phospholipase A activity, nor an induction period for its hemolytic activity and is completely inhibited by sucrose. The optimum pH was 6.75. The μ value calculated from the Arrhenius plot is 5940 cal/mole. Rhizolysin was inhibited by cholesterol and less by sphingomyelin.