Biological and Structural Characterization of a New PLA2 from the Crotalus durissus collilineatus Venom

Structural studies with crotoxin B from Crotalus durissus collilineatus venom suggest a heterodimeric assembly formed by two new isoforms

In accidents involving Crotalus snakes, the crotoxin complex (CTX) plays lethal action due to its neurotoxic activity. On the other hand, CTX have potential biotechnological application due to its anti-tumoral, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic and immunomodulatory properties. CTX is a heterodimer composed of Crotoxin A (CA or crotapotin), the acidic nontoxic and non-enzymatic component and; Crotoxin B (CB), a basic, toxic and catalytic PLA2. Currently, there are two classes of CTX isoforms, whose differences in their biological activities have been attributed to features presented in CB isoforms. Here, we present the crystal structure of CB isolated from the Crotalus durissus collilineatus venom. It amino acid sequence was assigned using the SEQUENCE SLIDER software, which revealed that the crystal structure is a heterodimer composed of two new CB isoforms (colCB-A and colCB-B). Bioinformatic and biophysical analyses showed that the toxin forms a tetrameric assembly in solution similar to CB from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom, despite some differences observed at the dimeric interface. By the previously proposed classification, the colCB-B presents features of the class I isoforms while colCB-A cannot be classified into classes I and II based on its amino acid sequence. Due to similar features observed for other CB isoforms found in the NCBI database and the results obtained for colCB-A, we suggest that there are more than two classes of CTX and CB isoforms in crotalic venoms.

Past, Present, and Future of Naturally Occurring Antimicrobials Related to Snake Venoms

This review focuses on proteins and peptides with antimicrobial activity because these biopolymers can be useful in the fight against infectious diseases and to overcome the critical problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics. In fact, snakes show the highest diversification among reptiles, surviving in various environments; their innate immunity is similar to mammals and the response of their plasma to bacteria and fungi has been explored mainly in ecological studies. Snake venoms are a rich source of components that have a variety of biological functions. Among them are proteins like lectins, metalloproteinases, serine proteinases, L-amino acid oxidases, phospholipases type A₂, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, as well as many oligopeptides, such as waprins, cardiotoxins, cathelicidins, and β-defensins. In vitro, these biomolecules were shown to be active against bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that are pathogenic to humans. Not only cathelicidins, but all other proteins and oligopeptides from snake venom have been proteolyzed to provide short antimicrobial peptides, or for use as templates for developing a variety of short unnatural sequences based on their structures. In addition to organizing and discussing an expressive amount of information, this review also describes new β-defensin sequences of Sistrurus miliarius that can lead to novel peptide-based antimicrobial agents, using a multidisciplinary approach that includes sequence phylogeny.

Harnessing snake venom phospholipases A2 to novel approaches for overcoming antibiotic resistance

The emergence of antibiotic resistance drives an essential race against time to reveal new molecular structures capable of addressing this alarming global health problem. Snake venoms are natural catalogs of multifunctional toxins and privileged frameworks, which serve as potential templates for the inspiration of novel treatment strategies for combating antibiotic resistant bacteria. Phospholipases A₂ (PLA₂ s) are one of the main classes of antibacterial biomolecules, with recognized therapeutic value, found in these valuable secretions. Recently, a number of biomimetic oligopeptides based on small fragments of primary structure from PLA₂ toxins has emerged as a meaningful opportunity to overcome multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. Thus, this review will highlight the biochemical and structural properties of antibacterial PLA₂ s and peptides thereof, as well as their possible molecular mechanisms of action and key roles in development of effective therapeutic strategies. Chemical strategies possibly useful to convert antibacterial peptides from PLA₂ s to efficient drugs will be equally addressed.

Identification of antinociceptive fraction of snake venom from Crotalus durissus collilineatus crotamine-negative and its acute toxicity evaluation

The crude venom of the snake Crotalus durissus collilineatus (CDC) promotes neurological signs and symptoms in accidents involving humans and animals and the victims reports analgesia at the bite site, without tissue destruction. Studies shows that CDC has analgesic activity, among others. The crude venom is considered unsuitable for therapeutic purposes, with encouragement to the fractionation and purification of the same. Thus, the aim with CDC venom is: to perform fractionation by preparative HPLC; to test the antinociceptive activity of fractions and acute toxicity of active fractions. The CDC was fractionated on preparative HPLC-PDA (Oliveira et al., 2015) and the fractions were tested for their antinociceptive activity for writhing test by acetic acid (0.6%) in mice. For one of the fractions, which showed high analgesic effect both p.o. and i.p. routes, it evaluated the acute toxicity by the up and down method (OECD, 2001). In the fractionation by HPLC-PDA, CDC yielded 10 peaks (P1P10). SDS-PAGE showed that there was a good separation of components of the venom. All peaks were evaluated for their ability to reduce writhing, and the only one that apparently showed antinociceptive effect was Fr5 fraction (40 μg/kg). The Fr5 was able to reduce by 47% the number of contortions (i.p.) and 87% (p.o.), compared to control. The Fr5 fraction showed no morbidity and no mortality in the acute toxicity test (dose of 1000 μg/kg, p.o.); so it was not possible to estimate the LD50. According to the results, it can be stated that the venom and Fr5 of Crotalus durissus collilineatus snake of crotamine-negative type, may exhibit antinociceptive activity by suppressing nociception induced by acetic acid, suggesting it is related to effects on peripheral sites spinal and presents low acute toxicity values in experimental animals.

Identification of two novel cytolysins from the hydrozoan Olindias sambaquiensis (Cnidaria)

BACKGROUND

Although the hydrozoan Olindias sambaquiensis is the most common jellyfish associated with human envenomation in southeastern and southern Brazil, information about the composition of its venom is rare. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze pharmacological aspects of O. sambaquiensis venom as well as clinical manifestations observed in affected patients. Crude protein extracts were prepared from the tentacles of animals; peptides and proteins were sequenced and submitted to circular dichroism spectroscopy. Creatine kinase, cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity were evaluated by specific methods.

RESULTS

We identified two novel cytolysins denominated oshem 1 and oshem 2 from the tentacles of this jellyfish. The cytolysins presented the amino acid sequences NEGKAKCGNTAGSKLTFKSADECTKTGQK (oshem 1) and NNSKAKCGDLAGWSKLTFKSADECTKTGQKS (oshem 2) with respective molecular masses of 3.013 kDa and 3.375 kDa. Circular dichroism revealed that oshem 1 has random coils and small α-helix conformation as main secondary structure whereas oshem 2 presents mainly random coils as its main secondary structure probably due to the presence of W (13) in oshem 2. The hemolysis levels induced by oshem 1 and oshem 2 using a peptide concentration of 0.2 mg/mL were, respectively, 51.7 ± 6.5% and 32.9 ± 8.7% (n = 12 and p ≤ 0.05). Oshem 1 and oshem 2 showed significant myonecrotic activity, evaluated by respective CK level measurements of 1890.4 ± 89 and 1212.5 ± 103 (n = 4 and p ≤ 0.05). In addition, myonecrosis was also evaluated by cell survival, which was measured at 72.4 ± 8.6% and 83.5 ± 6.7% (n = 12 and p ≤ 0.05), respectively. The structural analysis showed that both oshem 1 and oshem 2 should be classified as a small basic hemolytic peptide.

CONCLUSION

The amino acid sequences of two peptides were highly similar while the primary amino acid sequence analysis revealed W (22th) as the most important mutation. Finally oshem 1 and oshem 2 are the first cytolytic peptides isolated from the Olindias sambaquiensis and should probably represent a novel class of cytolytic peptides.

AhV_aPA-induced vasoconstriction involves the IP₃Rs-mediated Ca²⁺ releasing

AhV_aPA, the acidic PLA₂ purified from Agkistrodon halys pallas venom, was previously reported to possess a strong enzymatic activity and can remarkably induce a further contractile response on the 60 mM K⁺-induced contraction with an EC₅₀ in 369 nM on mouse thoracic aorta rings. In the present study, we found that the p-bromo-phenacyl-bromide (pBPB), which can completely inhibit the enzymatic activity of AhV_aPA, did not significantly reduce the contractile response on vessel rings induced by AhV_aPA, indicating that the vasoconstrictor effects of AhV_aPA are independent of the enzymatic activity. The inhibitor experiments showed that the contractile response induced by AhV_aPA is mainly attributed to the Ca²⁺ releasing from Ca²⁺ store, especially sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Detailed studies showed that the Ca²⁺ release from SR is related to the activation of inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP₃Rs) rather than ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Furthermore, the vasoconstrictor effect could be strongly reduced by pre-incubation with heparin, indicating that the basic amino acid residues on the surface of AhV_aPA may be involved in the interaction between AhV_aPA and the molecular receptors. These findings offer new insights into the functions of snake PLA₂ and provide a novel pathogenesis of A. halys pallas venom.

Interactions of PLA2-s from Vipera lebetina, Vipera berus berus and Naja naja oxiana venom with platelets, bacterial and cancer cells

Secretory phospholipasesA₂ (sPLA₂s) form a large family of structurally related enzymes widespread in nature. Herein, we studied the inhibitory effects of sPLA₂s from Vipera lebetina (VLPLA₂), Vipera berus berus (VBBPLA₂), and Naja naja oxiana (NNOPLA₂) venoms on (i) human platelets, (ii) four different bacterial strains (gram-negative Escherichia coli and Vibrio fischeri; gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and (iii) five types of cancer cells (PC-3, LNCaP, MCF-7, K-562 and B16-F10) in vitro. sPLA₂s inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation: VBBPLA₂ IC₅₀ = 0.054, VLPLA₂ IC₅₀ = 0.072, NNOPLA₂ IC₅₀ = 0.814 μM. p-Bromophenacylbromide-inhibited sPLA₂ had no inhibitory action on platelets. 36.17 μM VBBPLA₂ completely inhibited the growth of gram-positive Bacillus subtilis whereas no growth inhibition was observed towards gram-negative Escherichia coli. The inhibitory action of sPLA₂s (~0.7 μM and ~7 μM) towards cancer cells depended on both venom and cell type. VBBPLA₂ (7.2 μM) inhibited significantly the viability of K-562 cells and the cell death appeared apoptotic. The sPLA₂s exhibited no inhibitory effect towards LNCaP cells and some effect (8%–20%) towards other cells. Thus, already sub-μM concentrations of sPLA₂s inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and from the current suite of studied svPLA₂s and test cells, VBBPLA₂ was the most growth inhibitory towards Bacillus subtilis and K-562 cells.

Harpalycin 2 inhibits the enzymatic and platelet aggregation activities of PrTX-III, a D49 phospholipase A2 from Bothrops pirajai venom

Background

Harpalycin 2 (HP-2) is an isoflavone isolated from the leaves of Harpalyce brasiliana Benth., a snakeroot found in northeast region of Brazil and used in folk medicine to treat snakebite. Its leaves are said to be anti-inflammatory. Secretory phospholipases A₂ are important toxins found in snake venom and are structurally related to those found in inflammatory conditions in mammals, as in arthritis and atherosclerosis, and for this reason can be valuable tools for searching new anti-phospholipase A₂ drugs.

Methods

HP-2 and piratoxin-III (PrTX-III) were purified through chromatographic techniques. The effect of HP-2 in the enzymatic activity of PrTX-III was carried out using 4-nitro-3-octanoyloxy-benzoic acid as the substrate. PrTX-III induced platelet aggregation was inhibited by HP-2 when compared to aristolochic acid and p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB). In an attempt to elucidate how HP-2 interacts with PrTX-III, mass spectrometry, circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence analysis were performed. Docking scores of the ligands (HP-2, aristolochic acid and p-BPB) using PrTX-III as target were also calculated.

Results

HP-2 inhibited the enzymatic activity of PrTX-III (IC₅₀ 11.34 ± 0.28 μg/mL) although it did not form a stable chemical complex in the active site, since mass spectrometry measurements showed no difference between native (13,837.34 Da) and HP-2 treated PrTX-III (13,856.12 Da). A structural analysis of PrTX-III after treatment with HP-2 showed a decrease in dimerization and a slight protein unfolding. In the platelet aggregation assay, HP-2 previously incubated with PrTX-III inhibited the aggregation when compared with untreated protein. PrTX-III chemical treated with aristolochic acid and p-BPB, two standard PLA₂ inhibitors, showed low inhibitory effects when compared with the HP-2 treatment. Docking scores corroborated these results, showing higher affinity of HP-2 for the PrTX-III target (PDB code: 1GMZ) than aristolochic acid and p-BPB. HP-2 previous incubated with the platelets inhibits the aggregation induced by untreated PrTX-III as well as arachidonic acid.

Conclusion

HP-2 changes the structure of PrTX-III, inhibiting the enzymatic activity of this enzyme. In addition, PrTX-III platelet aggregant activity was inhibited by treatment with HP-2, p-BPB and aristolochic acid, and these results were corroborated by docking scores.

Relationship between the structure and the enzymatic activity of crotoxin complex and its phospholipase A2 subunit: an in silico approach

Crotoxin, one of the major toxins of South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus subspecies, is an heterodimeric complex composed of two distinct subunits: a basic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2), CB) and an acidic nontoxic catalytically inactive protein, crotapotin (CA). It's well known that CB has a high enzymatic activity; however the molecular aspects that determine this fact remain unknown. In this study, an in silico approach was used to predict the CA structure by homology modeling, and the crotoxin structure by means of molecular docking. CA structure was built using the software Modeller taking Crotalus atrox PLA(2) (1PP2:R) as a template. Different criteria measured by Procheck, Verify 3D and ProSA were indicative of the reliability and the proper fold for the predicted structural model of CA. Then, a combination of this model and CB crystal structure was used to build the structure of crotoxin complex through rigid-body protein-protein docking. The crotoxin-3D model suggested that by means of hydrophobic and π-π stacking interactions, CA-Y24 and CA-F119 interact with CB-F24 and CB-F119, respectively. Those interactions could prevent the interfacial adsorption of the CB onto the lipid/water interface by blocking part of the interfacial binding surface of the PLA(2). This fact could explain the differences regarding to enzymatic activity between the crotoxin complex and CB. In addition, the crotoxin-3D model showed solvent-exposed regions of CA that could bind the receptor expressed in target cells.

Effects of low molecular weight sulfated galactan fragments from Botryocladia occidentalis on the pharmacological and enzymatic activity of sPLA2 from Crotalus durissus cascavella

Low molecular weight fragments of sulfated galactans (Boc-5 and Boc-10) from the red algae Botryocladia occidentalis significantly inhibited Crotalus durissus cascavella sPLA2 enzymatic activity. Equimolar ratios of sPLA2 to Boc-5 or Boc-10 resulted in allosteric inhibition of sPLA2. Under the conditions tested, we observed that both Boc-5 and Boc-10 strongly decreased edema, myonecrosis, and neurotoxicity induced by native sPLA2.

Modulation of the pharmacological activities of secretory phospholipase A2 from Crotalus durissus cascavella induced by naringin

In this work we have characterized the action of the naringin, a flavonoid found in grapefruit and known for its various pharmacological effects, which include antioxidant blood lipid lowering and anticancer activity, on the structure and biochemical activities of a secretory phospholipase A (sPLA2) from Crotalus durissus cascavella, an important protein involved in the releasinge of arachidonic acid in phospholipid membranes. sPLA2 was incubated with naringin (mol:mol) at 37 °C and a discrete reduction in the UV scanning signal and a modification of the circular dichroism spectra were observed after treatment with naringin, suggesting modifications of the secondary structure of the protein. This flavonoid was able to decrease enzymatic activity and some pharmacological effects, such as myonecrosis, platelet aggregation, and neurotoxic activity caused by sPLA2, however, the inflammatory effect was not affected by naringin. In addition, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data were collected for sPLA2 and naringin-treated sPLA2 to evaluate possible modifications of the protein structure. These structural investigations have shown that sPLA2 is an elongated dimer in solution and after treatment with naringin a conformational change in the dimeric configuration was observed. Our results suggest that structural modification may be correlated with the loss of enzymatic activity and alterations in pharmacological properties.

Crystal structure of Bn IV in complex with myristic acid: a Lys49 myotoxic phospholipase A₂ from Bothrops neuwiedi venom

The LYS49-PLA₂s myotoxins have attracted attention as models for the induction of myonecrosis by a catalytically independent mechanism of action. Structural studies and biological activities have demonstrated that the myotoxic activity of LYS49-PLA₂ is independent of the catalytic activity site. The myotoxic effect is conventionally thought to be to due to the C-terminal region 111-121, which plays an effective role in membrane damage. In the present study, Bn IV LYS49-PLA₂ was isolated from Bothrops neuwiedi snake venom in complex with myristic acid (CH₃(CH₂)₁₂COOH) and its overall structure was refined at 2.2 Å resolution. The Bn IV crystals belong to monoclinic space group P2₁ and contain a dimer in the asymmetric unit. The unit cell parameters are a = 38.8, b = 70.4, c = 44.0 Å. The biological assembly is a "conventional dimer" and the results confirm that dimer formation is not relevant to the myotoxic activity. Electron density map analysis of the Bn IV structure shows clearly the presence of myristic acid in catalytic site. The relevant structural features for myotoxic activity are located in the C-terminal region and the Bn IV C-terminal residues NKKYRY are a probable heparin binding domain. These findings indicate that the mechanism of interaction between Bn IV and muscle cell membranes is through some kind of cell signal transduction mediated by heparin complexes.

Effect of the synthetic coumarin, ethyl 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate, on activity of Crotalus durissus ruruima sPLA2 as well as on edema and platelet aggregation induced by this factor

We show that ethyl 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate (EOCC), a synthetic coumarin, irreversibly inhibits phospholipase A(2) (sPLA2) from Crotalus durissus ruruima venom (sPLA2r) with an IC(50) of 3.1 +/- 0.06 nmol. EOCC strongly decreased the V(max) and K(m), and it virtually abolished the enzyme activity of sPLA2r as well as sPLA2s from other sources. The edema induced by sPLA2r + EOCC was less than that induced by sPLA2r treated with p-bromophenacyl bromide, which was more efficient at neutralizing the platelet aggregation activity of native sPLA2r. Native sPLA2r induced platelet aggregation of 91.54 +/- 9.3%, and sPLA2r + EOCC induced a platelet aggregation of 18.56 +/- 6.5%. EOCC treatment also decreased the myotoxic effect of sPLA2r. Mass spectrometry showed that EOCC formed a stable complex with sPLA2r, which increased the mass of native sPLA2r from 14,299.34 Da to 14,736.22 Da. Moreover, the formation of this complex appeared to be involved in the loss of sPLA2r activity. Our results strongly suggest that EOCC can be used as a pharmacological agent against the sPLA2 in Crotalus durissus sp. venom as well as other sPLA2s.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of crotoxin B from Crotalus durissus collilineatus venom

Crotoxin B is a basic phospholipase A(2) found in the venom of several Crotalus durissus ssp. rattlesnakes and is one of the subunits that constitute crotoxin, the main component of the venom of these snakes. This heterodimeric toxin is related to important envenomation effects such as neurological disorders, myotoxicity and renal failure. Although crotoxin was first crystallized in 1938, the first structural data only became available in 2007 (for crotoxin B from C. durissus terrificus) and showed an ambiguous result for the biological assembly, which could be either dimeric or tetrameric. In this work, the crystallization, X-ray diffraction data collection at 2.2 A resolution and molecular-replacement solution of a dimeric complex formed by two crotoxin B isoforms from C. durissus collilineatus venom is presented.

Effect of umbelliferone (7-hydroxycoumarin, 7-HOC) on the enzymatic, edematogenic and necrotic activities of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) isolated from Crotalus durissus collilineatus venom

Flavonoids, coumarins and other polyphenolic compounds are powerful antioxidants both in hydrophilic and lipophylic environments with diverse pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory activity. Despite being widely used as powerful therapeutic agents for blood coagulation disorders, more specifically to control some serine protease enzymes, the mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of coumarins is unknown, unlike that of flavonoids. Although their controlling effect on serine proteases is well acknowledged, their action on secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) remains obscure. The present study describes the interaction between umbelliferone (7-HOC) and the sPLA2 from Crotalus durissus collilineatus venom. In vitro inhibition of sPLA2 enzymatic activity by 7-HOC was estimated using 4N3OBA as substrate, resulting in an irreversible decrease in such activity proportional to 7-HOC concentration. The biophysical interaction between 7-HOC and sPLA2 was examined by fluorescent spectral analysis and circular dichroism studies. Results from both techniques clearly showed that 7-HOC strongly modified the secondary structure of this enzyme and CD spectra revealed that it strongly decreased sPLA2 alpha-helical conformation. In addition, two-dimensional electrophoresis indicated an evident difference between HPLC-purified native and 7-HOC-treated sPLA2s, which were used in pharmacological experiments to compare their biological activities. In vivo anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by the sPLA2-induced mouse paw edema model, in which 7-HOC presented an effect similar to those of dexamethasone and cyproheptadine against the pro-inflammatory effect induced by native sPLA2 on the mouse paw edema, mast cell degranulation and skin edema. On the other hand, 7-HOC exhibited a more potent inhibitory effect on sPLA2 than that of p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB). Our data suggest that 7-HOC interacts with sPLA2 and causes some structural modifications that lead to a sharp decrease or inhibition of the edematogenic and myotoxic activities of this enzyme, indicating its potential use to suppress inflammation induced by sPLA2 from the snake venom.

Purification and characterization of the biological effects of phospholipase A(2) from sea anemone Bunodosoma caissarum

Sea anemones contain a variety of biologically active substances. Bunodosoma caissarum is a sea anemone from the Cnidaria phylum, found only in Brazilian coastal waters. The aim of the present work was to study the biological effects of PLA(2) isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum on the isolated perfused kidney, the arteriolar mesenteric bed and on insulin secretion. Specimens of B. caissarum were collected from the São Vicente Channel on the southern coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Reverse phase HPLC analysis of the crude extract of B. caissarum detected three PLA(2) proteins (named BcPLA(2)1, BcPLA(2)2 and BcPLA(2)3) found to be active in B. caissarum extracts. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of BcPLA(2)1 showed one main peak at 14.7 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of BcPLA(2)1 showed high amino acid sequence identity with PLA(2) group III protein isolated from the Mexican lizard (PA23 HELSU, HELSU, PA22 HELSU) and with the honey bee Apis mellifera (PLA(2) and 1POC_A). In addition, BcPLA(2)1 also showed significant overall homology to bee PLA(2). The enzymatic activity induced by native BcPLA(2)1 (20 microg/well) was reduced by chemical treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB) and with morin. BcPLA(2)1 strongly induced insulin secretion in presence of high glucose concentration. In isolated kidney, the PLA(2) from B. caissarum increased the perfusion pressure, renal vascular resistance, urinary flow, glomerular filtration rate, and sodium, potassium and chloride levels of excretion. BcPLA(2)1, however, did not increase the perfusion pressure on the mesenteric vascular bed. In conclusion, PLA(2), a group III phospholipase isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum, exerted effects on renal function and induced insulin secretion in conditions of high glucose concentration.