Toxins 2019, 11(2), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11020089
A Novel Phospholipase A2 Isolated from Palythoa caribaeorum Possesses Neurotoxic Activity
1
Departamento de Química de Biomacromoléculas, Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México C.P. 04510, Mexico
2
Unidad de Proteómica, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), Periférico Sur 4809, Col. Arenal Tepepan, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14610, Mexico
3
Programa de Investigación de Producción de Biomoléculas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70228, Ciudad de México C.P. 04510, Mexico
4
Sección de Química Orgánica, Departamento de Ciencias Químicas Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Estado de México C.P. 54740, Mexico
5
Banco de Tumores, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Ciudad de México C.P. 14070, Mexico
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Laboratorio de Aminoácidos Excitadores, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de México C.P. 14269, Mexico
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Laboratorio de Bioquímica Genética, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Secretaría de Salud, Ciudad de México C.P. 04530, Mexico
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Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología CONACYT, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Secretaría de Salud, Ciudad de México C.P. 04530, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 12 December 2018 / Revised: 17 January 2019 / Accepted: 24 January 2019 / Published: 1 February 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Animal Venoms)
Abstract
Zoanthids of the genus Palythoa are distributed worldwide in shallow waters around coral reefs. Like all cnidarians, they possess nematocysts that contain a large diversity of toxins that paralyze their prey. This work was aimed at isolating and functionally characterizing a cnidarian neurotoxic phospholipase named A2-PLTX-Pcb1a for the first time. This phospholipase was isolated from the venomous extract of the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum. This enzyme, which is Ca2+-dependent, is a 149 amino acid residue protein. The analysis of the A2-PLTX-Pcb1a sequence showed neurotoxic domain similitude with other neurotoxic sPLA2´s, but a different catalytic histidine domain. This is remarkable, since A2-PLTX-Pcb1a displays properties like those of other known PLA2 enzymes. View Full-TextKeywords:
cnidaria; venom; phospholipase A2; neurotoxin; Palythoa caribaeorum
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Cuevas-Cruz, M.; Lazcano-Pérez, F.; Hernández-Guzmán, U.; Díaz de la Vega-Castañeda, K.H.; Román-González, S.A.; Valdez-Cruz, N.A.; Velasco-Bejarano, B.; Colín-González, A.L.; Santamaría, A.; Gómez-Manzo, S.; Marcial-Quino, J.; Arreguín-Espinosa, R. A Novel Phospholipase A2 Isolated from Palythoa caribaeorum Possesses Neurotoxic Activity. Toxins 2019, 11, 89.
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