Agrocybin, an antifungal peptide from the edible mushroom Agrocybe cylindracea

An antifungal peptide with a molecular mass of 9 kDa was isolated from fresh fruiting bodies of the mushroom Agrocybe cylindracea. The isolation procedure comprised ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel. ion exchange chromatography by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on Mono S. and FPLC-gel filtration on a Superdex 75 column. The antifungal peptide, designated as agrocybin. was unadsorbed on DEAE-cellulose, and adsorbed on Affi-gel blue gel and Mono S. Agrocybin exerted antifungal activity against several fungal species but lacked inhibitory activity against bacteria when tested up to 300 muM. The activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase was attenuated in the presence of agrocybin. It exhibited weaker mitogenic activity than Con A on isolated murine splenocytes, but was devoid of antiproliferative activity on Hep G2 (hepatoma) cells when tested at 110 muM. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.