This family consists of several bacterial and fungal Aegerolysin-like proteins. It has been found that aegerolysin and ostreolysin are expressed during formation of primordia and fruiting bodies. It has been suggested that these haemolysins play an important role in initial phase of fungal fruiting. The bacterial members of this family are expressed during sporulation [1]. Ostreolysin was found cytolytic to various erythrocytes and tumour cells [2]. It forms transmembrane pores 4 nm in diameter. The activity is inhibited by total membrane lipids, and modulated by lysophosphatides. The potential use of aegerolysins is reviewed [8] with special emphasis on their properties which would allow their use in therapeutics. Aegerolysin is part of the pleurotolysin pore-forming (Pleurotolysin) transporter superfamily. Member proteins assemble into a transmembrane pore complex [7].

1: Pleurotus and Agrocybe hemolysins, new proteins hypothetically involved in fungal fruiting. Berne S, Krizaj I, Pohleven F, Turk T, Macek P, Sepcic K; Biochim Biophys Acta 2002;1570:153-159. PMID:12020804

2: Interaction of ostreolysin, a cytolytic protein from the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus, with lipid membranes and modulation by lysophospholipids. Sepcic K, Berne S, Potrich C, Turk T, Macek P, Menestrina G; Eur J Biochem 2003;270:1199-1210. PMID:12631278

3: Steroid structural requirements for interaction of ostreolysin, a lipid-raft binding cytolysin, with lipid monolayers and bilayers. Rebolj K, Ulrih NP, Macek P, Sepcic K; Biochim Biophys Acta. 2006;1758:1662-1670. PMID:16857161

4: Toxic and lethal effects of ostreolysin, a cytolytic protein from edible oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), in rodents. Zuzek MC, Macek P, Sepcic K, Cestnik V, Frangez R; Toxicon. 2006;48:264-271. PMID:16860832

5: Effect of pH on the pore forming activity and conformational stability of ostreolysin, a lipid raft-binding protein from the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus. Berne S, Sepcic K, Anderluh G, Turk T, Macek P, Poklar Ulrih N; Biochemistry. 2005;44:11137-11147. PMID:16101298

6: Temporal and spatial expression of ostreolysin during development of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). Vidic I, Berne S, Drobne D, Macek P, Frangez R, Turk T, Strus J, Sepcic K; Mycol Res. 2005;109:377-382. PMID:15912956

7: Ostreolysin, a pore-forming protein from the oyster mushroom, interacts specifically with membrane cholesterol-rich lipid domains. Sepcic K, Berne S, Rebolj K, Batista U, Plemenitas A, Sentjurc M, Macek P; FEBS Lett. 2004;575:81-85. PMID:15388337

8: Aegerolysins: structure, function, and putative biological role. Berne S, Lah L, Sepcic K; Protein Sci. 2009;18:694-706. PMID:19309687

9: Binding of a pleurotolysin ortholog from Pleurotus eryngii to sphingomyelin and cholesterol-rich membrane domains. Bhat HB, Kishimoto T, Abe M, Makino A, Inaba T, Murate M, Dohmae N, Kurahashi A, Nishibori K, Fujimori F, Greimel P, Ishitsuka R, Kobayashi T; J Lipid Res. 2013;54:2933-2943. PMID:23918047

10: Cloning, expression, and pore-forming properties of mature and precursor forms of pleurotolysin, a sphingomyelin-specific two-component cytolysin from the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus. Sakurai N, Kaneko J, Kamio Y, Tomita T; Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004;1679:65-73. PMID:15245918