Two immunologically distinct glycoproteins, with a molecular weight of 28,000 and 28,500 respectively, were isolated from seeds of Luffa cylindrica using a procedure that involved acetone precipitation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sepharose CL-6B. The proteins differed in the content of aspartic acid, threonine, proline and alanine but were otherwise similar in amino acid composition. The proteins were capable of inducing mid-term abortion in mice, inhibiting protein synthesis in a cell-free system and suppressing thymidine uptake by human choriocarcinoma cells.
PIP: Two immunologically distinct glycoproteins, fractions C4 and C6, with a molecular weight of 28,000 and 28,500, respectively, estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were isolated from seeds of Luffa cyclindrica using acetone precipitation, gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, and ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sepharose CL-6B. Fractions C4 and C6 correspond to luffin-a and luffin-b, respectively, according to the ion exchange chromatographic behavior and amino acid compositions. Fraction C6 and luffin-b were characterized by a lower content of threonine and a higher content of proline than fraction C4 and luffin-a. The 2 luffins, the protein from Luffa acutangula (luffaculin) and trichosanthin exhibited an overall similarity in amino acid composition. The proteins differed in the content of aspartic acid, threonine, proline, and alanine but were otherwise similar in amino acid composition. The ribosome inactivating proteins from Luffa cylindrica seeds also possessed abortifacient activity: they were capable of inducing mid term abortion in mice, inhibiting protein synthesis in a cell-free system, and suppressing thymidine uptake by human choriocarcinoma cells. The abortifacient activity of these proteins is possibly the result of their inhibitory effects on the biosynthetic activity of implanting embryos and endometrial cells. Trichosanthin inhibits the replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in acutely and chronically infected cells of lymphocyte and mononuclear phagocyte lineage with a potential in AIDS therapy. However, it is still unknown whether the proteins from Luffa cylindrica seeds also possess anti-HIV activity.