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Oxyuranus scutellatus toxin 1 (OS1) and toxin 2 (OS2) are two monochain phospholipases A2 isolated from the venom of Taipan. Their iodinated derivatives have been used to characterize phospholipase A2 receptors on rabbit skeletal muscle cells in culture. Both ligands recognize one family of binding sites on myotube membranes with a Bmax of 1.9 to 2.2 pmol/mg of protein and dissociation constant values of 7.4 pM for 125I-OS2 and 38 pM for 125I-OS1. Other snake venom phospholipases A2 are able to inhibit 125I-OS2 binding to the muscle receptor. Competition experiments with these unlabeled phospholipases A2 define a pharmacological profile of the muscle receptor very different from the previously described pharmacological profile of the neuronal phospholipase A2 receptors. The number of 125I-OS2 receptors in skeletal muscle cells increases during in vitro cell maturation but there is no clear relation between the increase of Bmax and the fusion of myoblasts into myotubes. The phospholipase A2 binding protein from myotubes has been identified both by cross-linking experiments and by purification studies. It is composed of only one subunit of Mr 180,000.

Studies are reported on the inhibition of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from porcine pancreas, cobra (Naja naja) venom, and the P388D1 macrophage-like cell line by human recombinant lipocortin I and bovine lung calpactin I. Membrane vesicles prepared from 1-stearoyl,2-arachidonoyl phosphatidylcholine (PC) and other PCs were utilized as substrate. Binding studies using sucrose flotation gradients showed that both lipocortin I and calpactin I bind to these vesicles although less tightly than to vesicles prepared from anionic phospholipids or fatty acids. Binding to PC was somewhat enhanced by Ca2+. Inhibition of cobra venom PLA2 was not observed when PC vesicles were used as substrate but was when dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine was used. Both the pancreatic and macrophage enzymes were inhibited when acting on PC. Interestingly, the inhibition of the macrophage enzyme toward PC depended on the fatty acid attached to the sn-2 position of PC with arachidonate greater than oleate greater than palmitate. Inhibition was also highest at low [PC]; these inhibition results can be explained by the "substrate depletion model" (Davidson, F. F., Dennis, E. A., Powell, M., and Glenney, J. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 1698-1705). Experimental and theoretical considerations suggest that the in vitro inhibition by lipocortins of this macrophage PLA2 from a cell that makes lipocortin and is active in prostaglandin production is due to effects on substrate availability rather than direct inhibition.

Dialkyl lecithins are nonhydrolyzable substrate analogues for phospholipase A2 (Naja naja naja). Short chain dialkyl lecithins (which form monomers and micelles), and long chain ether-linked lecithins (which form bilayers or can be solubilized in detergent micelles) have been used to study phospholipase A2/phospholipid interactions. The results of gel filtration, 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy, kinetic assays and UV difference spectroscopy show that binding of the ether-linked lecithins is independent of metal ion in pure lecithin systems (monomer, micelle, or bilayer), but requires Ca2+ for tight binding when Triton X-100 is used to solubilize the lecithin in mixed micelles. The apparent KD for dihexadecyl phosphatidylcholine is 2 mM in sonicated vesicles, but is increased to 6 mM in Triton-mixed micelles in the presence of Ca2+. When phospholipase A2 binds monomeric and micellar dialkyl lecithin, the lecithin phosphate resonance is broadened considerably, indicating that head group motion is restricted. Ca2+ enhances this interaction with the head group in these pure lipid systems. In similar 31P NMR experiments with dihexadecyl phosphatidylcholine solubilized in Triton X-100 mixed micelles, phospholipase A2 does not cause comparable broadening of the phosphate resonance, even in the presence of Ca2+ where gel filtration shows binding occurs. The kinetic effect of the ether-linked lipid inhibitors on phospholipase activity toward ester-linked lecithins is also modulated by the presence of Triton X-100. Ether-linked lecithins are much more potent inhibitors in two-component (dialkyl- diacyl-) lecithin micelles and bilayers than in complex mixed micelles with Triton X-100. Detergent-induced changes in the characteristics of the micellar interface are implicated in this inhibition phenomenon. The interaction of phospholipase A2 with sonicated vesicles of dihexadecyl phosphatidylcholine has also been examined by 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. When phospholipase A2 binds to vesicles, it promotes loss of encapsulated lanthanide ions, and appears to accelerate transbilayer phospholipid "flip-flop" rates. These results are discussed in terms of membrane asymmetry studies using phospholipase A2.

Four new monochain phospholipases were purified from the Oxyuranus scutellatus (taipan) venom. Three of them were highly toxic when injected into mice brain. One of these neurotoxic phospholipases, OS2, was iodinated and used in binding experiments to demonstrate the presence of two families of specific binding sites in rat brain synaptic membranes. The affinities were exceptionally high, Kd1 = 1.5 +/- 0.5 pM and Kd2 = 45 +/- 10 pM, and the maximal binding capacities were Bmax 1 = 1 +/- 0.4 and Bmax 2 = 3 +/- 0.5 pmol/mg of protein. Both binding sites were sensitive to proteolysis and demonstrated to be located on proteins of Mr 85,000-88,000 and 36,000-51,000 by cross-linking and photoaffinity labeling techniques. The binding of 125I-OS2 to synaptic membranes was dependent on Ca2+ ions and enhanced by Zn2+ ions which inhibit phospholipase activity. Competition experiments have shown that, except for beta-bungarotoxin, a number of known toxic snake or bee phospholipases have very high affinities for the newly identified binding sites. A good correlation (r = 0.80) was observed between toxicity and affinity but not between phospholipase activity and affinity.

The prothrombin activator from the venom of Oxyuranus scutellatus (Taipan snake) was purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and ion-exchange chromatography on QAE-Sephadex. The activator is a large protein with a molecular weight of approximately 300,000, which is composed of subunits of Mr 110,000 and 80,000 and two disulfide-linked polypeptides of Mr 30,000. One or both of these Mr 30,000 subunits contain the active site. The venom activator readily converts Factor Xa-specific chromogenic substrates and is also able to activate prothrombin (Km = 166 microM, Vmax = 2.5 mumol of prothrombin activated per min/mg of venom). Gel electrophoretic analysis of prothrombin activation indicates that the venom activator randomly cleaves the Arg274-Thr275 and Arg323-Ile324 bonds of prothrombin since both thrombin and meizothrombin are formed as reaction products. Venom-catalyzed prothrombin activation is not affected by bovine Factor Va but is greatly stimulated by phospholipids plus Ca2+ ions. This stimulatory effect is explained by a decrease of the Km for prothrombin. In the presence of 50 microM phospholipid vesicles (25% phosphatidylserine/75% phosphatidylcholine; mole/mole), the Km is 0.34 microM and the Vmax is 7.1 mumol of prothrombin activated per min/mg of venom. The purified venom activator contains gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues which presumably function in the interaction between the venom activator and phospholipids. Treatment of the activator with 0.8 M NaSCN strongly reduces its ability to activate prothrombin but has no effect on its amidolytic activity. The prothrombin-converting activity of the NaSCN-treated activator can be restored with bovine Factor Va. During prolonged gradient gel electrophoresis, the Mr 300,000 activator dissociates into smaller subunits. This causes a loss of the prothrombin-converting activity, while the amidolytic activity is recovered in a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 57,000. This protein can, however, rapidly activate prothrombin in the presence of Factor Va or in the presence of a protein component of Mr 220,000 that also migrates on the gel. These results suggest that the prothrombin activator from the O. scutellatus venom is a multimeric protein complex consisting of a Factor Xa-like enzyme and a Factor Va-like cofactor.

The secondary structures of three snake venom cardiotoxins (from Hemachatus hemachatus, Naja naja atra, and Naja naja naja), in aqueous solution and in a lipid-bound form, were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The conformation-sensitive protein infrared bands in the amide I region were analyzed using deconvolution and band-fitting procedures. The spectra of the three cardiotoxins in aqueous buffer are very similar; they indicate a high content of both antiparallel beta-sheet structure and unordered conformation. Moreover, component bands characteristic of turns can also be identified. The binding of cardiotoxins to bilayers of dimyristoylphosphatidyl-glycerol results in an increased content of a beta-structure at the expense of the nonordered conformation. It is suggested that lipid-induced conformational transitions to a beta-structure, similar to that observed with cardiotoxins, may be operative also in membrane interaction of other proteins and peptides, particularly with those which have a small tendency to form alpha-helices.

The generation of two cleavage products of human C3, termed C3o and C3p, by incubation with a C3-cleaving protease isolated from cobra venom (Naja naja siamensis) is described. The venom protease removes the C3p fragment (Mr approximately 33,000) from the C3dg region of the C3 alpha-chain. The major cleavage fragment C3o (Mr approximately 140,000) contains the unaltered beta-chain of C3 and two alpha-chain-derived polypeptides of Mr approximately 29,000 and Mr approximately 38,000, respectively. Amino-terminal amino acids sequence analysis of C3p and the three chains of C3o allowed the identification of the exact location of the two alpha-chain-derived fragments of C3o and the three cleavage sites of the venom protease. The chain structure of C3o resembles those of C3c and cobra venom factor. In contrast to C3c but like cobra venom factor (and C3b), C3o was found to support the activation of the serine protease Factor B by cleavage in the presence of Factor D and Mg2+ into Bb and Ba, generating an enzymatically active complex that is able to cleave a fluorogenic peptide substrate for C3 convertases. Since the only stretch of amino acid residues of C3o not present in C3c is the carboxyl terminus of the Mr approximately 29,000 chain of C3o, it is suggested that this region is important for the interaction with Factor B and convertase formation.

Partially reassembled high density lipoproteins (R-HDL) composed of apolipoprotein A-I and nonhydrolyzable analogues of phosphatidylcholine have been prepared, and their physical properties and reactivities as substrates for lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase and three phospholipases were tested. The stereo-chemical pairs L-DMPC-ether (1,2-O-ditetradecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine) and D-DMPC-ether (2,3-O-ditetradecyl-sn-glycero-1-phosphoryline) or L-DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl-choline) and D-DMPC (2,3-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-1-phosphorylcholine) have similar thermal properties. R-HDL composed of these four lipids also have similar thermal properties as well as lipid/protein ratios, molecular weights, and protein conformations. Vmax and apparent Km values for lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase on R-HDL consisting of linear combinations of L-DMPC and D-DMPC, L-DMPC-ether, or D-DMPC-ether plus 6 mol % cholesterol were measured. For the ether lecithins, there was a linear increase in Vmax with percentage of the acyl donor, L-DMPC, in R-HDL; over the same range, there was no change in Km. A comparison with bee venom and Naja melanoleuca phospholipase A2 demonstrated that the venom enzymes have turnover numbers almost 3 orders of magnitude greater than has lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase; the activity of the phospholipases was profoundly affected by the physical state of the lipid, whereas lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity was not. The differences between these two types of enzymes, which cleave the same bonds of a phosphatidylcholine, are assigned to different catalytic mechanisms. These studies show that R-HDL containing sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholines and sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine ethers have similar structure, properties, and affinities for phospholipolytic enzymes.

In an effort to identify the anticoagulant region of venom phospholipases A2, we have systematically compared the amino acid sequences of strong, weak and non-anticoagulant phospholipases. The comparison disclosed several significant substitutions in the region between residues 54 and 77 (homology numbers). This proposed anticoagulant region is positively charged in strong, but negatively charged in weak and non-anticoagulant phospholipases. The microenvironment of a tryptophan residue falls within the proposed region, accounting for the differential characteristics of intrinsic fluorescence changes observed at 335 nm after the binding of phospholipid vesicles to strong and weak anticoagulants. Four lysine residues are located in specific positions in the "anticoagulant" region of strong anticoagulants, and should form a cationic surface, based on analogy with the available crystallographic structures. The chemical modification of lysine, arginine, tyrosine, and tryptophan residues and carboxylate groups, performed by other investigators, not only provides added support for the predicted site, but also confirms the essentiality of the positive charges in the site. This region may participate in the formation of a specific preferential hydrolytic complex leading to the strong anticoagulant effect. The anticoagulant region is distinct and separate from the predicted neurotoxic and myotoxic sites, and is located on the opposite surface of the phospholipase molecule.