A novel mitogenic lectin from the globiferous pedicellariae of sea urchin,Toxopneustes pileolus

A galactose-specific sea urchin lectin-I (SUL-I) was isolated from the larg e globiferous pedicellariae of Toxopneustes pileolus by gel chromatography, affinity chromatography and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromato graphy. SUL-I is a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 32 kDa. The N -terminal amino acid is alanine. The partial amino acid sequence was determ ined up to 35 residues. SUL-I stimulated mitogen response on murine T lymph ocytes. The mitogen response to SUL-I in T lymphocytes was effectively inhi bited by D-galactose. Our study suggests that SUL-I is a novel mitogenic le ctin from marine invertebrates.