[Neonatal brain-derived carcinostatic factor (NBCF)--cytocidal action to neuroblastoma cells and molecular characters...

Neuronal cells as many as 40-70% in several regions of the brain are destined to suffer from programmed cell death at the terminal stage of the ontogenesis. At the stage the mouse brain secretes some species of cell growth-inhibitory factors including a novel glycoprotein (62KD, pI9.1) which inhibits DNA synthesis and proliferation of tumor cells preferentially over those of normal cells. The factor was designated as NBCF (neonatal brain-derived carcinostatic factor) because it is not produced at stages other than neonatal and prenatal stages or from other organs. The activity is exhibited through a protenic body of NBCF as an active principle, whereas the glycan moiety contributes assumedly to secretion and/or activity stabilization. NBCF is cytocidal more markedly to neuroblastoma cells than a diversity of other tumor cells; the susceptibility to NBCF becomes marked when neuroblastoma cells are undifferentiated.