Parasporin, a new anticancer protein group from Bacillus thuringiensis.

Parasporin (PS) is a collection of genealogically heterogeneous Cry proteins synthesized in Bacillus thuringiensis. A prominent feature commonly associated with PS proteins is the strong cytocidal activity preferential for human cancer cells of various origins. The proteins exhibit cytocidal activities only when digested with proteases. Currently, this protein group is classified into four families: PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4. Marked differences are...