ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EQUINATOXINS FROM THE SEA-ANEMONE ACTINIA-EQUINA L

Equinatoxins were purified from the tentacles and bodies of the sea anemone Actinia equina by the use of acetone precipitation, as well as column chromatographies on Sephadex G-50 and CM-cellulose according to the modified method of Macek and Lebez (1988). The equinatoxins obtained, equinatoxin 1 and 2, were hemolytic glycoproteins with a relative molecular mass of 20000. Equinatoxin 2 was found to be rich in glycine, alanine and valine. The amino acid sequences of equinatoxins 1 and 2 were partially determined. A portion of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of equinatoxin 2 was similar to those of pyruvate kinase and sialidase.