No abstract

Tachyplesin I, a cationic heptadecapeptide amide containing two disulfide bonds isolated from hemocytes of Tuchypleus tridentutus, which binds to lipopolysaccharide, was synthesized by a solid-phase procedure. Reduction and oxidation of the deprotected peptide amide yielded an identical pcptide to native tachyplesin I in terms of chemical and biological properties. Tachyplesin I was found to bind to alkylphosphorylcholine accompanied by perturbation of its tyrosyl and tryptophyl residues but bound only weakly to N-acetyl-D-glucosamine tetramer.

When Naja naja atra phospholipase A2, which contains three tryptophan residues at the 18th, 19th, and 61st positions, was oxidized with N-bromosuccinimide at pH 4.0, its activity decreased in a convex manner with increase in the extent of oxidation of tryptophan residues. The curve shape showed that the tryptophan residue oxidized last is most responsible for the activity. The order of accessibilities of the three tryptophan residues, which was analyzed according to the method reported previously (Mohri et al. (1876) J. Biochem. 100, 883-893), was Trp-61 greater than Trp-19 greater than Trp-18. Thus, Trp-18 was evaluated to be essential for activity. Difference spectra of phospholipase A2 produced by titrating with laurylphosphorylcholine in the presence of Ca2+, which are due in large part to perturbation of the tryptophan residue(s), were retained with phospholipase A2 derivatives containing 1.2 and 2.0 mol of tryptophan residues oxidized but not with the derivative containing 3.0 mol of tryptophan residues oxidized. Such observations led us to assume that Trp-18 is involved in the specific site that interacts with phospholipid.

No abstract

Phospholipase A2 was purified to homogeneity from the venom of Trimeresurus gramineus (the Green Habu snake) via three steps consisting of Sephadex G-75, DEAE-cellulose, and DEAE-Toyopearl 650M column chromatographies. Molecular weight determinations showed that the enzyme consists of a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of approximately 14,000. The isoelectric point was 4.5. The enzyme is characterized by high contents of acidic amino acids, glycine, and half-cystine. Calcium ion was essential for eliciting activity. The enzyme was inactivated by alkylation of a single histidine residue with p-bromophenacyl bromide following pseudo first-order kinetics, and the rate of the inactivation was depressed in the presence of Ca2+. The N-terminal sequence of this enzyme determined to the 40th residue was found to be highly homologous to that of Trimeresurus okinavensis phospholipase A2 but not to that of Trimeresurus flavoviridis phospholipase A2. The phenylalanine residue at the 27th position of T. gramineus phospholipase A2 is noteworthy because all other phospholipases A2, with only two exceptions, contain a tyrosine residue at this position.