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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners
Published on: June 30, 2013
FV peptide induces apoptosis in HEp 2 and HeLa cells: an insight into the mechanism of induction
M Sri Balasubashini1, S Karthigayan, S T Somasundaram
1Department of Biochemistry, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, 608 002, India. sribalasubashini16@yahoo.co.in
Abstract:
The present study is an attempt to evaluate the antiproliferative potential of peptide (7.6 kDa) from lionfish (Pterios volitans) venom on cultured HEp2 and HeLa cells. Different dose of purified peptide (1, 2 and 4 microg/ml) at different time points (12, 24 and 36 hrs) were tested for antiproliferative index of the peptide. Among them, 2 microg/ml at 24 hrs was found to effectively inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro and did not cause any adverse effect on normal human lymphocytes. Apoptosis was examined by propidium iodide staining, confirmed by the expression of caspase-8 and caspase-3, down regulation of Bcl-2 expression and DNA fragmentation in treated cells, when compared to untreated HEp2 and HeLa cells. Thus fish venom peptide was found to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cell.
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