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Ribonuclease inhibits Kaposi's sarcoma

Nature volume 390, page 568 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a cancer closely associated with AIDS. Crude, commercial human urinary chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) preparations have previously been found to inhibit the growth of KS cell lines in vitroand in immunodeficient mice1,2, and to induce tumour regression of KS lesions in AIDS patients3,4. Here we report the purification of a ribonuclease (RNase) from a commercial hCG preparation. The pure enzyme killed KS cells in vitro,apparently by apoptosis, suggesting that effects of commercial hCG preparations on KS cells and tumours are due, at least in part, to RNase present as a contaminant in these preparations.

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Figure 1: Analysis of RNase from hCG preparations.
Figure 2: Induction of apoptosis in KS Y-1 cells by the 18K RNase.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Leeds, UK

    Suzanne J. Griffiths & David J. Adams

  2. Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, SW3 6JB, London, UK

    Simon J. Talbot

Authors
  1. Suzanne J. Griffiths
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  2. David J. Adams
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  3. Simon J. Talbot
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Griffiths, S., Adams, D. & Talbot, S. Ribonuclease inhibits Kaposi's sarcoma. Nature 390, 568 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/37510

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