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Aim: This study aimed to investigate the existence of phospholipase-A (PLA) activity in Soluble L. major Antigens (SLA) because of no reports for it so far. Liposomes were used as sensors to evaluate PLA activity., Objectives: Liposomal SLA consisting of Egg Phosphatidylcholine (EPC) or Sphingomyelin (SM) were prepared by two different methods in different pH or temperatures and characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)., Methods: Lipid hydrolysis led to the disruption of EPC liposomal SLA in both methods but the Film Method (FM) produced more stable liposomes than the Detergent Removal Method (DRM)., Result: The preparation of EPC liposomal SLA at pH 6 via FM protected liposomes from hydrolysis to some extent for a short time. EPC liposomes but not SM liposomes were disrupted in the presence of SLA., Conclusion: Therefore, a phospholipid without ester bond such as SM should be utilized in liposome formulations containing PLA as an encapsulating protein., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The prominent local myotoxic effects induced by Bothrops snake venom are due, in part, to myotoxins. This effect is not neutralized by antivenom, which is the main therapy for victims of snakebite. Two basic myotoxins named MjTX-I and MjTX-II were isolated from Bothrops moojeni venom. Both myotoxins have a Lys-49 phospholipase A2 structure devoid of enzymatic activity, but are highly myonecrotic and edema-inducing. In this study, we analyzed the effect of a low-level laser (LLL) at 685 nm, an energy density of 2.2 J cm(-2), and the irradiation time of 15 s, and a light emitting diode (LED) at 635 or 945 nm at energy densities of 4 and 3.8 J cm(-2), and irradiation times of 41 and 38 s, respectively, applied 30 min and 3 h after edema formation in mice caused by MjTX-I or MjTX-II. MjTX-I or MjTX-II caused a significant edema formation in envenomed paws. LLL and LED irradiation significantly reduced the edema formation by both myotoxins from 1 up to 6 hours after the injection. Both LLL and LEDs were similar in reducing the edema formation induced by myotoxins. The combined photobiostimulation with antivenom had the same effect in reducing edema as treatment with the LLL or LEDs alone. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that photobiostimulation could be used in association with antivenom therapy for treatment of local effects of Bothrops species venom.

The release of fatty acids from membrane lipids has been implicated in various metabolic and physiological processes, but in many cases, the enzymes involved and their functions in plants remain unclear. Patatin-related phospholipase As (pPLAs) constitute a major family of acyl-hydrolyzing enzymes in plants. Here, we show that pPLAIIIδ promotes the production of triacylglycerols with 20- and 22-carbon fatty acids in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Of the four pPLAIIIs (α, β, γ, δ), only pPLAIIIδ gene knockout results in a decrease in seed oil content, and pPLAIIIδ is most highly expressed in developing embryos. The overexpression of pPLAIIIδ increases the content of triacylglycerol and 20- and 22-carbon fatty acids in seeds with a corresponding decrease in 18-carbon fatty acids. Several genes in the glycerolipid biosynthetic pathways are up-regulated in pPLAIIIδ-overexpressing siliques. pPLAIIIδ hydrolyzes phosphatidylcholine and also acyl-coenzyme A to release fatty acids. pPLAIIIδ-overexpressing plants have a lower level, whereas pPLAIIIδ knockout plants have a higher level, of acyl-coenzyme A than the wild type. Whereas seed yield decreases in transgenic plants that ubiquitously overexpress pPLAIIIδ, seed-specific overexpression of pPLAIIIδ increases seed oil content without any detrimental effect on overall seed yield. These results indicate that pPLAIIIδ-mediated phospholipid turnover plays a role in fatty acid remodeling and glycerolipid production.

Here, we report the functional characterization of the newly identified lipid droplet hydrolase Ldh1p. Recombinant Ldh1p exhibits esterase and triacylglycerol lipase activities. Mutation of the serine in the hydrolase/lipase motif GXSXG completely abolished esterase activity. Ldh1p is required for the maintenance of a steady-state level of the nonpolar and polar lipids of lipid droplets. A characteristic feature of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Δldh1 strain is the appearance of giant lipid droplets and an excessive accumulation of nonpolar lipids and phospholipids upon growth on medium containing oleic acid as a sole carbon source. Ldh1p is thought to play a role in maintaining the lipid homeostasis in yeast by regulating both phospholipid and nonpolar lipid levels.

We genetically modified Eclipta alba using Agrobacterium rhizogenes LBA 9402, with the aim of producing secondary metabolites with pharmacological properties against phospholipase A(2) and the myotoxic activities of snake venom. Extracts from in natura aerial parts and roots, both native and genetically modified (in vitro), were prepared and analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. In natura materials showed the coumestan wedelolactone at higher concentration in the aerial parts, while demethylwedelolactone appeared at higher concentration in roots. Among the modified roots, clone 19 showed higher concentrations of these coumestans. Our results show that the in natura extracts of plants collected from Botucatu and Ribeirão Preto were efficient in inhibiting snake venom phospholipase A(2) activity. Regarding in vitro material, the best effect against Crotalus durissus terrificus venom was that of clone 19. Clone 19 and isolated coumestans (wedelolactone and demethylwedelolactone) inhibited the myotoxic activity induced by basic phospholipases A(2) isolated from the venoms of Crotalus durissus terrificus (CB) and Bothrops jararacussu (BthTX-I and II). The search for antivenom is justified by the need of finding active principles that are more efficient in neutralizing snake venoms and also as an attempt to complement serum therapy.

BmTX-I, an Asp49 phospholipase A(2), was purified from Bothrops moojeni venom after only one chromatographic step using reverse-phase HPLC on mu-Bondapak C-18 column. A molecular mass of 14238.71Da was determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Amino acid analysis showed a high content of hydrophobic and basic amino acids as well as 14 half-cysteine residues. The BmTX-I PLA(2) had a sequence of 121 residues of amino acids: DLWQFNKMIK KEVGKLPFPF YGAYGCYCGW GGRGEKPKDG TDRCCFVHDC CYKKLTGCPK WDDRYSYSWK DITIVCGEDL PCEEICECDR AAAVCFYENL GTYNKKYMKH LKPCKKADYP C and pI value 7.84, and showed a high degree of homology with basic Asp49 PLA(2) myotoxins from other Bothrops venoms. BmTX-I presented PLA(2) activity in the presence of a synthetic substrate and showed a minimum sigmoidal behavior, reaching its maximal activity at pH 8.0 and 35-45 degrees C. Maximum PLA(2) activity required Ca(2+) and in the presence of Mg(2+), Cd(2+) and Mn(2+) it was reduced in presence or absence of Ca(2+). Crotapotin from Crotalus durissus colillineatus rattlesnake venom has significantly inhibited (P<0.05) the enzymatic activity of BmTX-I. In vitro, the whole venom and BmTX-I caused a blockade of the neuromuscular transmission in young chick biventer cervicis preparations in a similar way to other bothrops species. In mice, BmTX-I and the whole venom-induced myonecrosis and a systemic interleukin-6 response upon intramuscular injection. Edema-forming activity was also analyzed through injection of the venom and the purified BmTX-I into the subplantar region of the right footpad. Since BmTX-I exert a strong proinflammatory effect; the enzymatic phospholipids hydrolysis might be relevant for these phenomena.

Phospholipases A(2) (PLA(2)) play an important role for the production of lysophospholipids. Presently they are mainly obtained from porcine or bovine pancreas but these mammalian sources are not accepted in several fields of application. To make accessible a non-mammalian PLA(2) to industrial application, synthetic genes encoding PLA(2) from honey bee (Apis mellifera) with modified N-termini were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. While expression of the gene with an N-terminal leader sequence to direct the protein into the periplasm failed, four variants with slightly modified N-termini (I1A-PLA(2), I1V-PLA(2), His(6)-tagged PLA(2) and PLA(2) still containing the start methionine) were successfully expressed. In all cases, the PLA(2) variants were produced as inclusion bodies. Their protein content amounted to 26-35% of total cell protein. The optimized renaturation procedure and subsequent purification by cation-exchange chromatography yielded pure active enzymes in yields of 4-11 mg L(-1). The recombinant PLA(2) variants showed activities, far-UV CD and fluorescence spectra similar to the glycosylated PLA(2) isolated from the venom glands of honey bee (bv-PLA(2)). The thermodynamic stabilities of the recombinant enzymes calculated from the transition curves of guanidine hydrochloride induced unfolding were also nearly identical to the stability of bv-PLA(2). For the variant I1A-PLA(2) high-cell density fermentation in 10 L-scale using mineral salt medium was shown to increase the volumetric enzyme yield considerably.

We describe mycobacterial phospholipase A activity (MPLA) and, using reverse genetics, have associated this activity with putative mycobacterial cutinase. PLAs, which hydrolyze fatty acids on phospholipids, play a significant role in human inflammatory states and disease pathogenesis. In prokaryotes, the recognition of their role in virulence is more recent. Cutinases are serine esterases whose primary substrate is cutin, the waxy exterior layer of plants. Mycobacterium tuberculosis has maintained seven putative cutinases, though it should not encounter cutin; we demonstrate that known cutinases and MPLA cleave phospholipids in a PLA-type manner and also hydrolyze Tween. We analyzed cutinase motifs in mycobacteria and found the motif very prevalent. All mycobacteria tested had MPLA activity. These studies suggest an alternative use for putative cutinases by the M. tuberculosis group that is likely related to MPLA activity and lipid metabolism.

Group IIA secretory phospholipases A(2) (sPLA(2)-II) is generally known to display potent gram-positive bactericidal activity, while group IA sPLA(2) (sPLA(2)-I) reportedly is not. In this work, a novel sPLA(2)-I named BFPA was identified from Bungarus fasciatus venom, and its antimicrobial activity was studied as well. The amino acid sequence of the venomous protein precursor was 145-amino acid in length, and contained a predicted 27-amino acid signal peptide and a 118-amino acid mature protein. Unlike the well-known sPLA(2)-Is, which have 14 half-cysteines forming 7 intramolecular disulfide bridges, BFPA possesses 15 half-cysteines. The additional cysteine might contribute to the formation of an intermolecular disulfide bridge of the homodimeric protein. In the biological activities assays, BFPA displayed the activities of anticoagulation and bactericidal against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This study is the first report about gram-positive bactericidal activity of sPLA(2)-I.

Continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF) has been performed for the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is one of the important mediators which exacerbate acute pancreatitis, but whether PLA2 can be removed by CHDF is unclear. In this study, the kinetics of group IB and group IIA PLA2 was examined at the first session of low-volume CHDF in eight patients with severe acute pancreatitis. CHDF was performed using polysulfone hemofilters (surface area: 0.7 m(2)) at a blood flow rate of 100 mL/min and a filtration and dialysate flow rate of 10 mL/min each. The plasma concentrations of group IB and IIA PLA2 before the start of CHDF were 47.4 +/- 52.0 microg/L and 352 +/- 390 microg/L, respectively, and did not change significantly. The clearances of group IB and IIA PLA2 achieved by the CHDF circuit 1 h after the start of CHDF were 20.7 +/- 11.6 mL/min and 16.7 +/- 4.4 mL/min, respectively, with both clearances decreasing significantly with time. The clearance of group IB PLA2 into the waste fluid tended to increase with time; however, the concentrations of group IIA PLA2 in the waste fluid were less than the measurable sensitivity. These results indicate that group IB PLA2 is adsorbed on the hemofilter membrane in preference to being removed into the waste fluid, while group IIA PLA2 is mainly removed by adsorption. However, low-volume CHDF is not effective at eliminating the group IB and IIA PLA2 plasma concentration.

BaTX PLA(2), a K49 phospholipase A(2) homologue was purified from Bothrops alternatus venom after two chromatographic steps, molecular exclusion on Superdex 75 and reverse phase HPLC on mu-Bondapack C-18. A molecular mass of 13898.71 Da was determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The amino acid composition showed that BaTX has a high content of Lys, Tyr, Gly, Pro, and 14 half-Cys residues, typical of a basic PLA(2). The complete amino acid sequence of BaTX PLA(2) contains 121 residues, resulting in a calculated pI value of 8.63. This sequence shows high identity values when compared to other K49 PLA(2)s isolated from the venoms of viperid snakes. Lower identity is observed in comparison to D49 PLA(2)s. The sequence was SLFELGKMIL QETGKNPAKS YGAYYCYCGW GGQGQPKDAT DRCCYVHKCC YKKLTGCNPK KDRYSYSWKD KTIVCGENNS CLKELCECDK AVAICLRENL NTYNKKYRYY LKPLCKKADA C. In mice, BaTX induced myonecrosis and edema, upon intramuscular or subcutaneous injections, respectively. The LD(50) of BaTX was 7 mug/g body weight, by intravenous route. In vitro, the toxin caused a potent blockade of neuromuscular transmission in young chicken biventer cervicis preparations. The blockage 50% was achieved at a concentration of 0.03 microM: 40+/-0.4 min and 0.07 microM: 35+/-0.3 min. Moreover, this protein induced a rapid cytolytic effect upon mouse skeletal muscle myoblasts in culture. Thus, the combined structural and functional information obtained identify BaTX as a new member of the K49 PLA(2) family, which presents the typical bioactivities described for such proteins.

Two proteins with phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) activity were purified to homogeneity from Bothrops leucurus (white-tailed-jararaca) snake venom through three chromatographic steps: Conventional gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200, ion-exchange on Q-Sepharose and reverse phase on Vydac C4 HPLC column. The molecular mass for both enzymes was estimated to be approximately 14 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The N-terminal sequences (48 residues) show that one enzyme presents lysine at position 48 and the other an aspartic acid in this position, and therefore they were designated blK-PLA(2) and blD-PLA(2) respectively. blK-PLA(2) presented negligible levels of PLA(2) activity as compared to that of blD-PLA(2). The PLA(2) activity of both enzymes is Ca(2+)-dependent. blD-PLA(2) did not have any effect upon platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid, ADP or collagen, but strongly inhibits coagulation and is able to stimulate Ehrlich tumor growth but not angiogenesis.

A basic toxin from Russell's viper venom of 7.2 kDa (RVV-7) has been purified to homogeneity after partial unfolding by 4 M urea followed by filtration through Centricon-30 membrane. Its N-terminal sequence showed strong homology with snake venom cytotoxins. Cytotoxic activity of RVV-7 has been demonstrated with B16F10 melanoma cells. PLA2 activity was observed in cytotoxin (CX3) from Naja kauthia bearing sequence homology with RVV-7. Phospholipase A2 and trypsin inhibitory activities were also observed with RVV-7. Chemical modification and inhibition studies suggested independent functional sites for these activities. A qualitative assessment of tumor growth inhibition by RVV-7 has been made.

Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 isoforms of PLA2, a D49 protein, were purified from Crotalus durissus ruruima venom after one chromatographic step, reverse phase HPLC on micro-Bondapack C-18. The molecular mass by SDS-PAGE of Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 isoforms of PLA2 was 14333.49 Da and 14296.42 Da, respectively and confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The amino acid composition showed that both isoforms Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 have a high content of Lys, Tyr, Gly, Arg, and 14 half-Cys residues, typical of a basic PLA2. The isoforms Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 had a sequence of amino acids of 122 amino acid residues, being Cdr-12: SLLQFNKMIK FETRKNAIPF YAFYGCYCGW GGQGRPKDAT DRCCIVHDCC YGKLAKCNTK WDFYRYSLRS GYFQCGKGTW CEQQICECDR VAAECLRRSL STYRYGYMIY PDSRCREPSE TC and pI value 8.37 and Cdr-13: SLVQFEKMIK EETGKNAVPF YAFYGCYCGW GGRGRPKDAT DRCCIVHDCC YEKLVKCNTK WDFYRYSLRS GYFQCGKGTW CEQQICECDR VAAECLRRSL STYRYGKMIY PDSRCREPSE TC with a pI value of 8.13 This sequence shows high identity values when compared to other D49 PLA2s isolated from venoms of crotalics snakes. Skeletal muscle preparations from the young chicken have been previously used in order to study the effects of toxins on neuromuscular transmission, providing an important opportunity to study the differentiated behavior of a toxin before more than one model, because it shows differences in its sensibilities. In mice, the PLA2 isoforms Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 induced myonecrosis and edema, upon intramuscular or subcutaneous injections, respectively. In vitro, Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 isoforms of PLA2, caused a potent blockade of neuromuscular transmission in young chicken biventer cervicis preparation and produced cytotoxicity in murine C2C12 skeletal muscle myotubes and lack cytolytic activity upon myoblasts in vitro. Thus, the combined structural and functional information obtained identify Cdr-12 and Cdr-13 isoforms as members of the PLA2 family, which presents the typical bioactivities described for such proteins.

Ursolic acid (3beta-hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid) isolated from many medicinal plants has diverse pharmacologically important properties, including strong anti-inflammatory activity. However its interaction with pro-inflammatory PLA2 is not known. Ursolic acid inhibited secretory PLA2 (sPLA2) enzymes purified from Vipera russelli, Naja naja venom and human pleural fluid and synovial fluid. IC50 values determined for these enzymes ranged from 12 to 18 microM. Group II secretory PLA2 from both venoms & human inflammatory source were found to be sensitive to inhibition in comparison with group I cobra venom sPLA2. Variation in Ca2+ concentration from 2.5-15 mM did not alter the level of inhibition. Similarly sPLA2 inhibition by ursolic acid is independent of substrate concentration. Ursolic acid interacts with purified venom sPLA2 enzymes and enhances relative fluorescence intensity in a dose dependent manner. In the presence of ursolic acid apparent shift in the far UV-CD spectra of sPLA2 was observed, indicating a direct interaction with the enzyme and formation of enzyme-ursolic acid complex. This complex results in irreversible inhibition of sPLA2 as evident by dialysis study. Inhibition of sPLA2 induced mouse paw edema and indirect hemolytic activity confirmed its sPLA2 inhibitory activity in vivo and in situ respectively. These studies revealed that the strong anti-inflammatory activity of ursolic acid is by inhibiting sPLA2 enzymes.

Cr 5 PLA(2) homologous (K49) was isolated from Calloselasma rhodostoma venom in only one chromatographic step in reverse phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) (on mu-Bondapack C-18). A molecular mass of 13.965 Da was determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The amino acid composition showed that Cr 5 had a high content of Lys, Tyr, Gly, Pro, and 14 half-Cys residues, typical residues of a basic PLA(2). The complete amino acid sequence of Cr 5 PLA(2) contains 120 residues, resulting in a calculated pI value of 5.55. This sequence shows high identity values when compared to other K49 PLA(2)s isolated from the venoms of viperid snakes. Lower identity is observed in comparison to D49 PLA(2)s. The sequence found was SLVELGKMIL QETGKNPAKS YGAYGCNCGV LGRHKPKDAT DRCCFVHKCC YKKLTGCDPK KDRYSYSWKD KTIVCGENNP CLKEMCECDK AVAICLRENL DTYNKKYRYL KPFCKKADDC. In mice, Cr 5 induced myonecrosis and edema upon intramuscular and intravenous injections, respectively. The LD(50) of Cr 5 was 0.070 mg/kg of the animal weight, by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) route. In vitro, the toxin caused rapid cytolytic effect upon mouse skeletal muscle myoblasts in culture. The isolation of this PLA(2) and the combined structural and functional information obtained classify Cr 5 as a new member of the K49 PLA(2) family, since it presents typical features from such proteins.

The main triglyceride-lipase (TG-lipase) from the fat body of Manduca sexta has been identified as the homolog of Drosophila melanogaster CG8552. This protein is conserved among insects and also shares significant sequence similarity with vertebrate phospholipases (PLs) from the phosphatidic acid preferring-phospholipase A1 (PA-PLA(1)) family. It is shown here that the TG-lipase is also a PL. TG-lipase and PL activities copurify and are inhibited by, or resistant to, the same lipase inhibitors, indicating that both activities are catalyzed by the same enzyme and active site. The PL activity of TG-lipase corresponded to PL type A(1). The concentration dependence of lipase activity with TG and PL micellar substrates showed saturation kinetics, with apparent K(m) values of 152 +/- 11 and 7.8 +/- 1.1 muM, respectively. TG-lipase was able to hydrolyze the major phospholipid components of the lipid droplets, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The enzyme hydrolyzes 77 molecules of TG for every molecule of PL contained in the lipid droplets. It was observed that the activation of lipolysis in vivo is accompanied by activation of the hydrolysis of phospholipids of the lipid droplets. These results suggest that the PL activity of the insect TG-lipase could be required to allow access of the lipase to TG molecules contained in the core of the lipid droplets.

A secreted phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) from Streptomyces violaceoruber A-2688, previously identified by us, is the first PLA(2) identified in prokaryotes. Genome sequence data of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) indicates that the bacterium carries two genes encoding hypothetical PLA(2)s, which exhibit 100 and 78% identity, respectively, to the S. violaceoruber PLA(2). In this study, we named the former and latter proteins as the first and second PLA(2)s, respectively. When the second PLA(2) was expressed in Escherichia coli cells, it formed an inclusion body. The present study demonstrates a method to purify it to homogeneity without the disappearance of the enzymatic activity: the inclusion body was washed with sodium deoxycholate and dissolved in the presence of 2 M urea at pH 12, then refolded by the dilution method. The refolding of enzyme was confirmed by the circular dichroism spectrum. The second PLA(2) purified to homogeneity had the same specific activity as that of the S. violaceoruber PLA(2) and the yield was approximately 6.8 mg/L culture. The second PLA(2) exhibits similar enzymatic properties to the S. violaceoruber PLA(2), except that the former enzyme does not utilize phophatidic acid as a substrate. The surface electrostatic potential of the S. coelicolor PLA(2) model, which is created by the computer-homology modeling, suggests that the positively charged surface of the enzyme does not affect the substrate specificity.

Group IIA phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) are major components in Viperidae/Crotalidae venom. In the present study, a novel PLA(2) named promutoxin with Arg at the site 49 has been purified from the venom of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus by chromatography. It consists of 122 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 13,656 Da assessed by MALDI-TOF. It has the structural features of snake venom group IIA PLA(2)s, but has no PLA(2) enzymatic activity. Promutoxin shows higher amino acid sequence identity to the K49 PLA(2)s (72-95%) than to D49 PLA(2)s (52-58%). Promutoxin exhibits potent myotoxicity in the animal model with as little as 1 microg of promutoxin causing myonecrosis and myoedema in the gastrocnemius muscle of mice. Promutoxin is also able to stimulate the release of IL-12, TNFalpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta from human monocytes, and induce IL-2, TNFalpha and IL-6 release from T cells, indicating that this snake venom group IIA PLA(2) is actively involved in the inflammatory process in man caused by snake venom poisoning.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)) is a key enzyme involved in atherosclerosis, and has been considered as a new target for drug discovery. The major difficulty for high-throughput screening of Lp-PLA(2) inhibitors and for functional studies was their fast and efficient production. Purification of native Lp-PLA(2) from human plasma was complicated and produced a very low yield. We herein examined the feasibility of expressing and purifying recombinant Lp-PLA(2) in different heterologous expression systems. The fusion Lp-PLA(2) was expressed at high levels and exhibited strong enzyme activity in insect cell-baculovirus expression system. The functional enzyme could also be produced in Pichia pastoris. The inclusion of a Kozak sequence increased greatly the expression level of recombinant Lp-PLA(2) in insect cells, but had little effect on the expression of recombinant Lp-PLA(2) in P. pastoris and Escherichia coli. P. pastoris-produced Lp-PLA(2) could be purified rapidly and conveniently through a one-step procedure, while baculovirus-produced Lp-PLA(2) could be efficiently purified through a two-step procedure. This ability to readily produce recombinant Lp-PLA(2) could provide a screening model for Lp-PLA(2) inhibitors and will facilitate further studies on this enzyme.

Dromedary pancreatic PLA2 (DrPLA2) was purified from delipidated pancreases. Pure protein was obtained after heat and acidic treatment (70 degrees C; pH 3.0), precipitation by ammonium sulphate and ethanol respectively, followed by sequential column chromatographies on Sephadex G-50, MonoS Sepharose, MonoQ Sepharose and C-8 reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography. Purified DrPLA2, which is not glycosylated protein, was found to be monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 13748.55 Da. A specific activity of 600 U/mg for purified DrPLA2 was measured at optimal conditions (pH 8.0 and 37 degrees C) in the presence of 3 mM NaTDC and 7 mM CaCl(2) using PC as substrate. The sequence of the first fourteen amino-acid residues at the N-terminal extremity of DrPLA2 was determined by automatic Edman degradation. One single sequence was obtained and shows a close similarity with all other known pancreatic secreted phospholipases A2.

For the first time, a complete X-ray diffraction data set has been collected from a myotoxic Asp49-phospholipase A2 (Asp49-PLA2) with low catalytic activity (BthTX-II from Bothrops jararacussu venom) and a molecular-replacement solution has been obtained with a dimer in the asymmetric unit. The quaternary structure of BthTX-II resembles the myotoxin Asp49-PLA2 PrTX-III (piratoxin III from B. pirajai venom) and all non-catalytic and myotoxic dimeric Lys49-PLA2s. In contrast, the oligomeric structure of BthTX-II is different from the highly catalytic and non-myotoxic BthA-I (acidic PLA2 from B. jararacussu). Thus, comparison between these structures should add insight into the catalytic and myotoxic activities of bothropic PLA2s.

A novel acidic Asp49 phospholipase A(2) was isolated from Bothrops erythromelas (jararaca malha-de-cascavel) snake venom by four chromatographic steps. BE-I-PLA2 present a molecular weight of 13,649.57 Da as estimated by mass spectrometry. N-terminal and four internal peptides were sequenced, covering around one-third of the complete toxin sequence. The complete BE-I-PLA2 cDNA was cloned from a B. erythromelas venom-gland cDNA library. The cDNA sequence possesses 457 bp and encodes a protein with significant sequence similarity to many other phospholipase A(2) from snake venoms. When tested in platelet rich plasma, the enzyme showed a potent inhibitory effect on aggregation induced by arachidonic acid and collagen, but not ADP. On the other hand, BE-I-PLA2 did not modify aggregation in washed platelet. Furthermore, no action of BE-I-PLA2 on the principal platelets receptors was observed. Chemical modification with p-bromophenacyl bromide abolished the enzymatic activity of BE-I-PLA2, but its anti-platelet activity was only partially inhibited. In human umbilical-cord veins endothelial cells, BE-I-PLA2 was neither apoptotic nor proliferative but stimulated endothelial cells to release prostaglandin I(2), suggesting an increase of its potential anti-platelet activity in vivo. Further studies are required in order to determine the exact mechanism of action of BE-I-PLA2 in the inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Background: Burkholderia pseudomallei are the causative agent of melioidosis. Increasing resistance of the disease to antibiotics is a severe problem in treatment regime and has led to intensification of the search for new drugs. Antimicrobial peptides are the most ubiquitous in nature as part of the innate immune system and host defense mechanism., Methods: Here, we investigated a group of venoms (snakes, scorpions and honey bee venoms) for antimicrobial properties against two strains of Gram-negative bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei by using disc-diffusion assay for in vitro susceptibility testing. The antibacterial activities of the venoms were compared with that of the isolated L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2s) enzymes. MICs were determined using broth dilution method. Bacterial growth was assessed by measurement of optical density at the lowest dilutions (MIC 0.25 mg/ml). The cell viability was measured using tetrazolium salts (XTT) based cytotoxic assay., Results: The studied venoms showed high antimicrobial activity. The venoms of C. adamanteus, Daboia russelli russelli, A. halys, P. australis, B. candidus and P. guttata were equally as effective as Chloramphenicol and Ceftazidime (30 microg/disc). Among those tested, phospholipase A2 enzymes (crotoxin B and daboiatoxin) showed the most potent antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (TES) bacteria. Naturally occurring venom peptides and phospholipase A2 proved to possess highly potent antimicrobial activity against Burkholderia pseudomallei. The XTT-assay results showed that the cell survival decreased with increasing concentrations (0.05-10 mg/mL) of Crotalus adamanteus venom, with no effect on the cell viability evident at 0.5 mg/mL., Conclusion: This antibacterial profile of snake venoms reported herein will be useful in the search for potential antibacterial agents against drug resistant microorganisms like B. pseudomallei.

A post-synaptic neurotoxic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) has been purified from Indian cobra Naja naja venom. It was associated with a peptide in the venom. The association was disrupted using 8 M urea. It is denoted to be a basic protein by its behavior on both ion exchange chromatography and electrophoresis. It is toxic to mice, LD(50) 1.9 mg/kg body weight (ip). It is proved to be post-synaptic PLA(2) by chymographic experiment using frog nerve-muscle preparation. A glycoprotein, (WSG) was isolated from a folk medicinal plant Withania somnifera. The WSG inhibited the phospholipase A(2) activity of NN-XIa-PLA(2,) isolated from the cobra venom, completely at a mole-to-mole ratio of 1:2 (NN-XIa-PLA(2): WSG) but failed to neutralize the toxicity of the molecule. However, it reduced the toxicity as well as prolonged the death time of the experimental mice approximately 10 times when compared to venom alone. The WSG also inhibited several other PLA(2) isoforms from the venom to varying extent. The interaction of the WSG with the PLA(2) is confirmed by fluorescence quenching and gel-permeation chromatography. Chemical modification of the active histidine residue of PLA(2) using p-brophenacyl bromide resulted in the loss of both catalytic activity as well as neurotoxicity of the molecule. These findings suggest that the venom PLA(2) has multiple sites on it; perhaps some of them are overlapping. Application of the plant extract on snakebite wound confirms the medicinal value associated with the plant.

CM-Sephadex C-25 column chromatography profile of Indian cobra (Naja naja) venom from eastern region showed a distinct and a dominant phospholipase peak, peak-10, while it was not seen in either southern or western venom samples. Peak-10 was subjected to CM-Sephadex C-25 and Sephadex G-50 column chromatography to isolate NN-X-PLA(2). NN-X-PLA(2) is a single chain protein with the relative molecular weight of 10kDa by SDS-PAGE. It was toxic to mice with an LD(50) value 0.098 mg/kg body weight (i.p.) and the mice exhibited acute neurotoxic symptoms. Upon indirect stimulation, it inhibited the twitching of frog's gastrocnemius muscle in a dose dependent manner. NN-X-PLA(2) was weakly anticoagulant and devoid of cytotoxicity, myotoxicity, hemorrhage, edema inducing, and directlytic activities and effects on platelet aggregation process. Upon chemical modification independently with p-bromophenacyl bromide and acetic anhydride, NN-X-PLA(2) lost both enzymatic and toxic properties.

The whole venom of Lachesis muta muta is preponderantly neurotoxic but moderately myotoxic on the chick biventer cervicis preparation (BCp). We have now examined these toxic activities of a basic phospholipase A(2), LmTX-I, isolated from the whole venom. LmTX-I caused a significant concentration-dependent neuromuscular blockade in the BCp. The time to produce 50% neuromuscular blockade was 14.7+/-0.75 min (30 microg/ml), 23.6+/-0.9 min (10 microg/ml), 34+/-1.7 min (2.5 microg/ml) and 39.2+/-3.6 min (1 microg/ml), (n=5/concentration; p<0.05). Complete blockade with all tested concentrations was not accompanied by inhibition of the response to ACh. At the highest concentration, LmTX-I (30 microg/ml) significantly reduced contractures elicited by exogenous KCl (20mM), increased the release of creatine kinase (1542.5+/-183.9 IU/L vs 442.7+/-39.8 IU/L for controls after 120 min, p<0.05), and induced the appearance of degenerating muscle fibers ( approximately 15%). Quantification of myonecrosis indicated 14.8+/-0.8 and 2.0+/-0.4%, with 30 and 10 microg/mlvenom concentration, respectively, against 1.07+/-0.4% for control preparations. The findings indicate that the basic PLA(2) present on venom from L. m. muta (LmTX-I) possesses a dominant neurotoxic action on isolated chick nerve-muscle preparations, whereas myotoxicity was mainly observed at the highest concentration used (30 microg/ml). These effects of LmTX-I closely reproduce the effects of the whole venom of L. m. muta in chick neuromuscular preparations.

Lonomia obliqua caterpillar bristle extract induces both direct and indirect hemolytic activity on human and rat washed erythrocytes, and provokes intravascular hemolysis in Wistar rats. Indirect hemolytic activity is assumed to be caused by a phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) present in this extract, and this investigation was initiated in order to characterize this enzyme. Phospholipase A(2) activity of crude extract was inhibited by both a PLA(2)-specific inhibitor (pBpb) and the metal ion chelator EDTA. L. obliqua PLA(2) was purified by liquid chromatography from the crude bristle extract and had a molecular mass of 15kDa and a pI of 5.9; its N-terminal sequence showed high homology to a sequence of a putative PLA(2) obtained from a cDNA library of L. obliqua bristles, and it is tentatively placed among Group III phospholipases A(2). This enzyme was stable at 4 degrees C, sensitive to higher temperatures, and its maximum catalytic activity was at pH 8.0. L. obliqua PLA(2) induced hemolysis only when incubated with exogenous lecithin. Thus, the PLA(2) purified herein appears to be responsible for the indirect hemolytic activity of the crude bristle extract.

In this article we investigated the platelet aggregating activity of whole crotoxin and its subunits isolated from Crotalus durissus cascavella venom. During the purification protocols of the venom, using HPLC molecular exclusion, we detected the presence of two different serine protease activities in the gyroxin fraction, and another in the crotoxin fraction, which induced strong and irreversible platelet aggregation, in addition to blood coagulation. From crotoxin, we isolated PLA2, crotapotin (both fractions corresponding approximately 85% of whole crotoxin) and another minor fraction (F20) that exhibited serine protease activity. After a new fractionation on reverse phase HPLC chromatography, we obtained three other fractions named as F201, F202 and F203. F202 was obtained with high degree of molecular homogeneity with molecular mass of approximately 28 kDa and a high content of acidic amino residues, such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid. Other important amino acids were histidine, cysteine and lysine. This protein exhibited a high specificity for BApNA, a Michaelis-Menten behavior with Vmax estimated in 5.64 microM/min and a Km value of 0.58 mM for this substrate. In this work, we investigated the ability of F202 to degrade fibrinogen and observed alpha and beta chain cleavage. Enzymatic as well as the platelet aggregation activities were strongly inhibited when incubated with TLCK and PMSF, specific inhibitors of serine protease. Also, F202 induced platelet aggregation in washed and platelet-rich plasma, and in both cases, TLCK inhibited its activity. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of F202 presented a high amino acid sequence homology with other thrombin-like proteins, but it was significantly different from gyroxin. These results showed that crotoxin is a highly heterogeneous protein composed of PLA2, thrombin-like and other fractions that might explain the diversity of physiological and pharmacological activities of this protein.

A novel phospholipase A2 (PLA2) with Asn at its site 49 was purified from the snake venom of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus by using SP-Sephadex C25, Superdex 75, Heparin-Sepharose (FF) and HPLC reverse-phage C18 chromatography and designated as TM-N49. It showed a molecular mass of 13.875 kDa on MALDI-TOF. TM-N49 does not possess enzymatic, hemolytic and hemorrhagic activities. It fails to induce platelet aggregation by itself, and does not inhibit the platelet aggregation induced by ADP. However, it exhibits potent myotoxic activity causing inflammatory cell infiltration, severe myoedema, myonecrosis and myolysis in the gastrocnemius muscles of BALB/c mice. Phylogenetic analysis found that that TM-N49 combined with two phospholipase A2s from Trimeresurus stejnegeri, TsR6 and CTs-R6 cluster into one group. Structural and functional analysis indicated that these phospholipase A2s are distinct from the other subgroups (D49 PLA2, S49 PLA2 and K49 PLA2) and represent a unique subgroup of snake venom group II PLA2, named N49 PLA2 subgroup.

A new PLA2 homologue was purified from Agkistrodon blomhoffii Siniticus by applying reverse phase (HPLC) C18 column. The molecular weight of PLA2 homologue is 13900Da and its purity is 97.2%. The results of N-terminal sequence analysis were HLLQFRKMIKKMTKK. All the fragments were determined with the protein-protein BLAST software of GenBank. BLAST analysis showed that the N-terminal sequences of 15 amino acids were highly homologous with the sequences of other PLA2.

In this paper we reported the purification, the biological characterization and the amino acid sequence of two new isoforms basic 6-1 (Bj-IV) and 6-2 (Bj-V) PLA(2) D49 purified from the Bothrops jararacussu venom. The isoforms 6-1 and 6-2 had a sequence of amino acids of 121 amino acid residues 6-1: DLFEWGQMIL KETGKNPFPY YGAYGCYCGW GGRGKPKDKD TDRCCYVHDC CYKKLTGCPK TDDRYSYSWL DLTIVCGEDD PCKELCECDK AIAVCFRENL GTYNKKYRYH LKPCKKADKP C and pI value 7.83 and 6-2: DLWQFGQMIL KETGKIPFPY YGAYGCYCGW GGRGGKPKDG TDRCCYVHDC CYKKLTGCPK TDDRYSYSWL DLTIVCGEDD PCKELCECDK AIAVCFRENL GTYNKKYRYH LKPCKKADKP C with a pI value of 7.99. Skeletal muscle preparations from the young chicken have been used previously in order to study the effects of toxins on neuromuscular transmission, providing an important opportunity to study the differentiated behavior of a toxin before more than one model, because it shows differences in its sensibilities. Both isoforms have produced neuromuscular blockade in young chicken biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparations in presence or absence of crotapotin crotalic (F3 and F4) indicating that catalytic activity was not essential for neuromuscular action in this preparation.

Crotalus durissus terrificus (C.d.t.) (South American rattlesnake) venom possesses myotoxic and neurotoxic activities, both of which are also expressed by crotoxin, the principal toxin of this venom. Crotoxin contains a basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and a non toxic acidic protein, crotapotin. We have produced and investigated the ability of IgG antibodies raised in rabbits against PLA2 to neutralize the lethality of the whole venom. PLA2 was isolated by gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-75). Specific antibodies were obtained by subcutaneous and intramuscular inoculation of PLA2 (700 microg) with Freund adjuvant. Groups of six mice (20 + 2 g) were inoculated with 0.5 ml i.p. of C. d t. venom (4 microg) or a mixture of venom that had been preincubated with the desired volume of IgG antibodies. Mortality, recorded 24 and 48 h after inoculation, showed that IgG anti-PLA2 were more effective than anticrotalic serum in neutralizing the lethal activity. These results demonstrate that it could be possible to obtain an anti-venom made by specific antibodies with a high level of protection against the lethal component of C.d.t. venom, and/or the inclusion of these antibodies as a supplement in heterologous anti-venoms.

Objective: To isolate and purify a new phospholipase A2 (PLA2) homologue from Agkistrodon blomhoffii siniticus and investigate its effects on the gene expression profile of Hep3B cells., Methods: The PLA2 homologue was isolated and purified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and its purity was determined also by HPLC. The relative molecular mass of the homologue was measured by electrospray ionization mass spectrum. The gene expression profile of Hep3B cells was detected with gene chip after exposure of the cells to 139 microg/ml PLA2 homologue for 12 h., Results: The purity of the PLA2 homologue was 97.2%, whose relative molecular mass was 13,900. After exposure of Hep3B cells to 139 microg/ml PLA2 homologue for 12 h, 19 genes were down-regulated and 20 up-regulated in the cells. The genes showing altered expressions in response to the exposure were mainly involved in cell cycle control and DNA damage repair, cell apoptosis and senescence, production of signal transduction molecules and transcription factors, cell adhesion, angiogenesis, and tumor invasion and metastasis., Conclusions: The PLA2 homologue induces alterations in the expression of a wide variety of genes involved in the growth and metastasis of tumor cells. The results of this study provide clues for further study of the possible mechanism for the action of PLA2 homologue on Hep3B cells.

This is the first PLA(2) crystal structure from group I that shows a strong anticoagulant property. The monomeric PLA(2) was purified from the venom of Naja naja sagittifera (Indian cobra). Its amino acid sequence has been determined using cDNA technique. The amino acid sequence of sPLA(2) contains three positively charged and two negatively charged residues in the segment 54-71 (numbering scheme of sPLA(2)) thus giving this region an overall cationic amphiphilic surface. This suggested the presence of an anticoagulant activity in sPLA(2). The enzyme was crystallized using hanging drop vapour diffusion method in the presence of calcium chloride. The crystals belong to space group P4(1) with cell dimensions of a=b=42.0A, c=65.9A. The X-ray crystal structure was determined at 1.8A resolution using molecular replacement method and refined to an R value of 0.179 for 10,023 reflections. The overall scaffolding of sPLA(2) is essentially similar to those observed for other group I PLA(2)s. However, the conformations of various surface loops were found to be significantly different. The most significant observation pertains to the anticoagulant loop in which both the acidic residues are engaged in intramolecular interactions whereas all the three basic residues are free to interact with other molecules. This makes the sPLA(2) a potentially strong anticoagulating molecule.

Background & Objective: Snake venom phospolipase A2 (PLA(2)), a large family of homologous (14 ku) soluble proteins, exerts diverse pharmacologic activities as well as enzymatic activities. So far, the structure and function of terrestrial snake PLA(2), especially the relationship of its enzymatic and pharmacologic activities have been studied extensively, but the investigation of sea snake PLA(2) are limited. This study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of recombinant sea snake basic PLA(2) (rSSBPLA(2)) and its mutants rN48 and rK4 from sea snake Lapemis hardwickii venom, and to explore the influence of 2 residues related with the enzymatic activity on the antitumor effects., Methods: Site-directed mutagenesis of the 2 conserved residues related with enzymatic activity (His48 mutated to Asn and Asp49 mutated to Lys) was performed. The inhibitory effects of rSSBPLA(2), rN48 and rK49 on proliferation of human myeloid leukemia cell line HL-60, human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH, human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803, and human liver cancer cell line HepG2 were assessed by MTT assay. Their antitumor effects on sarcoma cell line S180 xenograft and EAC ascites cancer model in mice were detected., Results: The relative enzymatic activities of rN48 and rK49 were 0 and 5% of that of rSSBPLA(2). The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of rSSBPLA(2) for HL60, SK-N-SH, and MGC-803 cells were (45.28+/-0.09) microg/ml, (57.07+/-0.12) microg/ml, and (69.34+/-0.35) microg/ml, respectively, but it had no inhibitory effect on proliferation of HepG2 cells. rSSBPLA(2) obviously inhibited growth of S180 xenograft in miceû the inhibitory rates were 50.8%, 43.2%, 38.2%, and 55.5%, respectively, under the dose of 2 mg/kg (qd x 10), 2 mg/kg (q2d x 5), 4 mg/kg (qd x 1) and 4 mg/kg (q5d x 2). The inhibitory rate of EAC model was 33.5% under the dose of 4 mg/kg (q5d x 2). The inhibitory rates were significantly higher in test groups than in control groups (P<0.01). rN48 and rK49 had no inhibitory effect on proliferation of the 4 tumor cell lines and on growth of the xenograft tumors., Conclusion: The antitumor effect of rSSBPLA(2) may be closely related with its enzymatic activity.

Two basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) isoforms were isolated from Lachesis muta muta snake venom and partially characterized. The venom was fractionated by molecular exclusion chromatography in ammonium bicarbonate buffer followed by reverse-phase HPLC on a C-18 mu-Bondapack column and RP-HPLC on a C-8 column. From liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry, the molecular mass of the two isoforms LmTX-I and LmTX-II was respectively measured as 14,245.4 and 14,186.2 Da. The pI was respectively estimated to be 8.7 and 8.6 for LmTX-I and LmTX-II, as determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis. The two proteins were sequenced and differentiated from each other by a single amino acid substitution, Arg65 (LmTX-I)-->Pro65 (LmTX-II). The amino acid sequence showed a high degree of homology between PLA2 isoforms from Lachesis muta muta and other PLA2 snake venoms. LmTX-I and LmTX-II had PLA2 activity in the presence of a synthetic substrate and showed a minimum sigmoidal behaviour; with maximal activity at pH 8.0 and 35-45 degrees C. Full PLA2 activity required Ca2+ and was respectively inhibited by Cu2+ and Zn2+ in the presence and absence of Ca2+. Crotapotin from Crotalus durissus cascavella rattlesnake venom significantly inhibited (P<0.05) the enzymatic activity of LmTX-I, suggesting that the binding site for crotapotin in this PLA2 was similar to another in the basic PLA2 of the crotoxin complex from C. durissus cascavella venom.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes from snake venoms are approximately 14 kDa secretory proteins and catalyze the release of arachidonic acid which is the precursor of proinflammatory mediators such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes and platelet-activating factors. The structure of the PLA2 enzyme purified from the venom of Daboia russelli pulchella was determined using molecular replacement method and refined to an R value of 18.3% for all the reflections to 1.8 A resolution. The structure contains two crystallographically independent molecules A and B which form an asymmetric homodimer. The Ca2+ ion was not detected in the present structure, however, a characteristic non-protein high quality electron density was observed at the substrate-binding site of molecule A which allowed a clear interpretation of a natural ligand identified as a derivative of indole, 2-carbamoylmethyl-5-propyl-octahydro-indol-7-yl)-acetic acid. The corresponding substrate-binding site in molecule B was empty. The ligand present in molecule A is involved in extensive interactions with the protein atoms including important catalytic residues such as Asp-49 and His-48. The results also show that the indole derivatives act as potent inhibitors of secretory group II PLA2 enzymes that can be further modified to be used as potential therapeutic agents.

Bothrops jararacussu myotoxin I (BthTx-I; Lys 49) and II (BthTX-II; Asp 49) were purified by ion-exchange chromatography and reverse phase HPLC. In this work we used the isolated perfused rat kidney method to evaluate the renal effects of B. jararacussu myotoxins I (Lys49 PLA2) and II (Asp49 PLA2) and their possible blockage by indomethacin. BthTX-I (5 microg/ml) and BthTX-II (5 microg/ml) increased perfusion pressure (PP; ct120=110.28+/-3.70 mmHg; BthTX I=171.28+/-6.30*mmHg; BthTX II=175.50+/-7.20*mmHg), renal vascular resistance (RVR; ct120=5.49+/-0.54 mmHg/ml.g(-1)min(-1); BthTX I=8.62+/-0.37*mmHg/ml g(-1)min(-1); BthTX II=8.9+/-0.36*mmHg/ml g(-1)min(-1)), urinary flow (UF; ct(120)=0.14+/-0.01ml g(-1)min(-1); BthTX I=0.32+/-0.05*ml g(-1)min(-1); BthTX II=0.37+/-0.01*ml g(-1)min(-1)) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR; ct120=0.72+/-0.10 ml g(-1)min(-1); BthTX I=0.85+/-0.13*ml g(-1)min(-1); BthTX II=1.22+/-0.28*ml g(-1)min(-1)). In contrast decreased the percent of sodium tubular transport (%TNa(+); ct(120)=79,76+/-0.56; BthTX I=62.23+/-4.12*; BthTX II=70.96+/-2.93*) and percent of potassium tubular transport (%TK(+);ct120=66.80+/-3.69; BthTX I=55.76+/-5.57*; BthTX II=50.86+/-6.16*). Indomethacin antagonized the vascular, glomerular and tubular effects promoted by BthTX I and it's partially blocked the effects of BthTX II. In this work also evaluated the antibacterial effects of BthTx-I and BthTx-II against Xanthomonas axonopodis. pv. passiflorae (Gram-negative bacteria) and we observed that both PLA2 showed antibacterial activity. Also we observed that proteins Also we observed that proteins chemically modified with 4-bromophenacyl bromide (rho-BPB) decrease significantly the antibacterial effect of both PLA2. In conclusion, BthTx I and BthTX II caused renal alteration and presented activity antimicrobial. The indomethacin was able to antagonize totally the renal effects induced by BthTx I and partially the effects promoted by BthTx II, suggesting involvement of inflammatory mediators in the renal effects caused by myotoxins. In the other hand, other effects could be independently of the enzymatic activity of the BthTX II and the C-terminal domain could be involved in both effects promoted for PLA2.

Herein, we report the heterologous expression of the human peroxisomal 63-kDa calcium-independent phospholipase A2gamma (iPLA2gamma) isoform in Sf9 cells, purification of the N-terminal His-tagged enzyme by affinity chromatography, and the identification of its remarkable substrate selectivity that results in the highly selective generation of 2-arachidonoyl lysophosphatidylcholine. Mass spectrometric analyses demonstrated that purified iPLA2gamma hydrolyzed saturated or monounsaturated aliphatic groups readily from either the sn-1 or sn-2 positions of phospholipids. In addition, purified iPLA2gamma effectively liberated arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of plasmenylcholine substrates. In contrast, incubation of iPLA2gamma with 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine resulted in the rapid release of palmitic acid and the selective accumulation of 2-arachidonoyl lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which was not metabolized further by iPLA2gamma. The putative regiospecificity of the 2-arachidonoyl LPC product was authenticated by its diagnostic fragmentation pattern during tandem mass spectrometric analysis. To identify the physiological relevance of iPLA2gamma-mediated 2-arachidonoyl LPC production utilizing naturally occurring membranes, we incubated purified rat hepatic peroxisomes with iPLA2gamma and similarly identified the selective accumulation of 2-arachidonoyl LPC. Furthermore, tandem mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that 2-arachidonoyl LPC is a natural product in human myocardium, a tissue in which iPLA2gamma expression is robust. Because 2-arachidonoyl LPC represents a key branch point intermediate that can potentially lead to a variety of bioactive molecules in eicosanoid signaling (e.g. arachidonic acid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol), these results have uncovered a novel eicosanoid selective pathway through iPLA2gamma-mediated 2-arachidonoyl LPC production to amplify and diversify the repertoire of biologic lipid second messengers in response to cellular stimulation.

To explore the venom diversity of Asian pit vipers, we investigated the structure and function of venom phospholipase A2 (PLA2) derived from two primitive tree vipers Trimeresurus puniceus and Trimeresurus borneensis. We purified six novel PLA2s from T. puniceus venom and another three from T. borneensis venom. All cDNAs encoding these PLA2s except one were cloned, and the molecular masses and N-terminal sequences of the purified enzymes closely matched those predicted from the cDNA. Three contain K49 and lack a disulfide bond at C61-C91, in contrast with the D49-containing PLA2s in both venom species. They are less thermally stable than other K49-PLA2s which contain seven disulfide bonds, as indicated by a decrease of 8.8 degrees C in the melting temperature measured by CD spectroscopy. The M110D mutation in one of the K49-PLA2s apparently reduced its edematous potency. A phylogenetic tree based on the amino-acid sequences of 17 K49-PLA2s from Asian pit viper venoms illustrates close relationships among the Trimeresurus species and intergeneric segregations. Basic D49-PLA2s with a unique Gly6 substitution were also purified from both venoms. They showed edema-inducing and anticoagulating activities. It is notable that acidic PLA2s from both venoms inhibited blood coagulation rather than platelet aggregation, and this inhibition was only partially dependent on enzyme activity. These results contribute to our understanding of the evolution of Trimeresurus pit vipers and the structure-function relationships between various subtypes of crotalid venom PLA2.

A short peptide derived from the C-terminal region of Bothrops asper myotoxin II, a Lys49 phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)), was previously found to reproduce the bactericidal activity of its parent molecule. In this study, a panel of eight PLA(2) myotoxins purified from crotalid snake venoms, including both Lys49 and Asp49-type isoforms, were all found to express bactericidal activity, indicating that this may be a common action of the group IIA PLA(2) protein family. A series of 10 synthetic peptide variants, based on the original C-terminal sequence 115-129 of myotoxin II and its triple Tyr-->Trp substituted peptide p115-W3, were characterized. In vitro assays for bactericidal, cytolytic and anti-endotoxic activities of these peptides suggest a general correlation between the number of tryptophan substitutions introduced and microbicidal potency, both against Gram-negative (Salmonella typhimurium) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Peptide variants with high bactericidal activity also tended to be more cytolytic towards skeletal muscle C2C12 myoblasts, thus limiting their potential in vivo use. However, the peptide variant pEM-2 (KKWRWWLKALAKK) showed reduced toxicity towards muscle cells, while retaining high bactericidal potency. This peptide also showed the highest endotoxin-neutralizing activity in vitro, and was shown to functionally interact with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using a chimeric bacteria model. The bactericidal and anti-endotoxic properties of pEM-2, combined with its relatively low toxicity towards eukaryotic cells, highlight it as a promising candidate for further evaluation of its antimicrobial potential in vivo.

A new PLA2 (F16) was purified from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom by molecular exclusion chromatography followed by analytical reverse phase HPLC. The PLA2 (14.86 kDa by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry) had an amino acid sequence of SLLQFNKMIKFETRKNAVPFYAFYGCYCGWGGRRRPKDATDRCCFVHDCCYEKVTKCNTKWDIYRYSLKSGYITCGKGTWCKEQICECDRVAAECLRRSLSTYKNGYMFYPDSRCRGPSETC, and showed highly conserved Ca2+-binding and catalytic sites. F16 showed allosteric behavior with 10 mM Ca2+ and had temperature and pH optima of 25 degrees C and 7.9, respectively. F16 (10 microg/ml) produced neuromuscular blockade in chick biventer cervicis preparations in the absence and presence of crotapotin, indicating that crotapotin was not essential for neuromuscular action in this preparation. In contrast, in mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparations, the neuromuscular blockade produced by the same concentration of toxin was dependent on crotapotin. Pre-incubation with heparin markedly reduced the neurotoxicity of F16. These results show that the biochemical and structural properties of F16 are similar to those of the PLA2 isoforms F15 and F17, but that the neurotoxicity and the requirement for crotapotin to form the crotoxin complex varies according to the neuromuscular preparation.

A new Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) from Micrurus dumerilii carinicauda venom was isolated and its primary structure determined. This new PLA(2) showed a low enzymatic activity when compared with other PLA(2)s and it is moderately basic with an isoelectric point of 8.0. Its amino acid sequence showed the presence of 120 amino acid residues and its sequence was: NLIQFLNMIQCTTPGREPLVAFANYGCYCGRGGSGTPVDELDRCCQVHDNCYDTAKKVFGCSPYFTMYSYDCSEGKLTCKDNNTKCKAAVCNCDRTAALCFAKAPYNDKNYKIDLTKRCQ. The structural model of MIDCA1, when compared with other strong neurotoxic PLA(2)s, such as Naja naja, showed significant differences in the beta-wing and neurotoxic sites, despite the high level of amino acid sequence similarity. These observations indicate a dissociation between the biological and catalytic activity of this new PLA(2), supporting the view that other regions of the protein are involved in the biological effects.

A new phospholipase A2 with Gln at the site 49, abbreviated as Gln49-PLA2, has been purified from the venom of Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis by using ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography and reversed-phase HPLC, and behaves as a single-band on SDS-PAGE. Its molecular weight is 13881.85+/-0.33 Da given by mass spectrometry and pI is about 8.56 given by isoelectric focusing. Gln49-PLA2 does not show phospholipase A2 and hemorrhagic activity, whereas shows weak toxic and apparent anticoagulant activity. Based on the N-terminal sequencing and peptide mass fingerprint analysis, Gln49-PLA2 cDNA has been cloned by means of RT-PCR. Gln49-PLA2 consists of 122 amino acid residues and has the structural features of class II of snake venom phospholipase A2.

The inflammatory events induced in the peritoneal cavity of mice by two PLA2s isolated from Bothrops asper snake venom were investigated. MT-III, an Asp-49 catalytically active enzyme and MT-II, a catalytically inactive Lys-49 variant induced increase in vascular permeability. Inhibition of enzymatic activity of MT-III with p-bromophenacyl bromide reduced this effect. MT-III induced a larger neutrophil infiltrate than MT-II. This activity was significantly reduced after inhibition of catalytic activity. Reduction in the number of neutrophils was observed when antibodies against L-selectin, CD18 or LFA-1 were used, suggesting the involvement of these adhesion molecules in the effects of both PLA2s. There was no effect with antibodies against ICAM-1 and PECAM-1. Increase in the levels of LTB4 and TXA2, as well as of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, were observed in the peritoneal exudates induced by MT-III. MT-II did not enhance levels of eicosanoids but increased those of cytokines. It is concluded that both PLA2s induce inflammatory events in this model. Since MT-III exerts a stronger proinflammatory effect, the enzymatic phospholipid hydrolysis may be relevant for these phenomena. However, the fact that MT-II induced inflammation suggests that molecular regions distinct from the catalytic site elicit inflammatory events perhaps by interacting with specific cell membrane acceptors.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2-alpha (cPLA2-alpha) is a calcium-activated enzyme that plays an important role in agonist-induced arachidonic acid release. In endothelial cells, free arachidonic acid can be converted subsequently into prostacyclin, a potent vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet activation, through the action of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. Here we study the relocation of cPLA2-alpha in human EA.hy.926 endothelial cells following stimulation with the calcium-mobilizing agonist, A23187. Relocation of cPLA2-alpha was seen to be highly cell specific, and in EA.hy.926 cells occurred primarily to intracellular structures resembling the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. In addition, relocation to both the inner and outer surfaces of the nuclear membrane was observed. Colocalization studies with markers for these subcellular organelles, however, showed colocalization of cPLA2-alpha with nuclear membrane markers but not with ER or Golgi markers, suggesting that the relocation of cPLA2-alpha occurs to sites that are separate from these organelles. Colocalization with annexin V was also observed at the nuclear envelope, however, little overlap with staining patterns for the potential cPLA2-alpha interacting proteins, annexin I, vimentin, p11 or actin, was seen in this cell type. In contrast, cPLA2-alpha was seen to partially colocalize specifically with the COX-2 isoform at the ER-resembling structures, but not with COX-1. These studies suggest that cPLA2-alpha and COX-2 may function together at a distinct and novel compartment for eicosanoid signalling.

The ability of PLA2 and crotapotin, isolated from Crotalus durissus collilineatus rattlesnake venom, to stimulate insulin secretion from isolated rat islets was examined. PLA2 and crotapotin stimulated insulin secretion at 2.8 mmol/L glucose, whereas at a high glucose concentrations (16.7 mmol/L) only PLA2 stimulated secretion. Nifedipine (10 micromol/L) did not alter the ability of PLA2 to increase insulin secretion stimulated by a depolarizing concentration of K+ (30 mmol/L). PLA2 did not affect 14CO2 production but significantly increased the efflux of arachidonic acid from isolated islets. These results indicate that PLA2-stimulated secretion is not dependent on an additional influx of Ca2+ through L-type Ca(2+)-channels but rather is associated with arachidonic acid formation in pancreatic islets.

Phospholipase A2 is potentially an important target for structure-based rational drug design. In order to determine the involvement of phospholipase A2 in the action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the crystal structure of the complex formed between phospholipase A2 and aspirin has been determined at 1.9 angstroms resolution. The structure contains 915 protein atoms, 1 calcium ion, 13 atoms of aspirin and 105 water molecules. The observed electron density of the aspirin molecule in the structure was of very high quality thus allowing the precise determination of its atomic coordinates leading to the clear description of its interactions with the enzyme. The structure of the complex clearly shows that aspirin is literally embedded in the hydrophobic environment of PLA2. It is so placed in the substrate binding channel that it forms several important attractive interactions with calcium ion, His 48 and Asp 49. Thus, the structure of the complex clearly shows that aspirin occupies a favourable place in the specific binding site of PLA2. The binding studies have shown that acetyl salicylate (aspirin) binds to PLA2 enzyme specifically with a dissociation constant of 6.4 x 10(-6) M. The structural details and binding data suggest that the inhibition of PLA2 by aspirin is of pharmacological

Snake-venom phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) represent a good model for studies of structure-function relationships, mainly because of their small size and diverse pharmacological and toxicological activities. To obtain new members of the abundant PLA2 family, the venom of the viper Vipera nikolskii was fractionated for the first time and two new proteins, VN5-3 and VN4-3, were isolated. Both proteins show phospholipase A2 activity and may possess neurotoxic activity. Based on the determined partial amino-acid sequences, the new proteins can be classified as basic Asp49 phospholipases A2. They were crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method and crystals of both proteins belong to space group R32, with similar unit-cell parameters: a = b = 76.29, c = 303.35 A for protein VN5-3 and a = b = 76.28, c = 304.39 A for protein VN4-3. Diffraction data sets to 3.0 and 2.2 A resolution were collected and processed for the VN5-3 and VN4-3 crystals, respectively. Preliminary analysis indicates that there are two molecules in the asymmetric unit for both crystals. Further crystallographic studies will help in understanding the structural basis for the multiple functions of snake-venom PLA2s.