R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv 03022, Ukraine D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv 03143, Ukraine
Abstract. The bacterium B.subtilis B-7025 was cultivated in different culture media and its culture fluid (CF) and lectins isolated from CF were toxic for tumor cells. It was shown that CF of bacteria cultivated in modified Gauze medium (MGM) and in beef-extract broth (BEB), and lectins isolated from CF agglutinate tumor cells with subsequent lysis as well as possess lytic and agglutinating activities toward rabbit erythrocytes. At the same time CF of bacteria grown on bran medium (BM) caused total lysis of tumor cells in the absence of agglutinating activity, but retain it toward rabbit erythrocytes. It has been shown that lectins of B.subtilis B-7025 has high carbohydrate specificity to fructose-1,6-diphosphate, N-acetylneuraminic, N-glycolylneuraminic and D-glucuronic acids. MGM was found to be the optimal medium for production of cytotoxic lectins by Bacillus subtilis B-7025.
