Isolation of a Toxin from Venom of Wagler's Pit Viper Trimeresurus wagleri

Abstract

A lethal toxin was isolated from Trimeresurus wagleri venom by fast protein liquid chromatography (molecular sieve) and Biorex-70 cation exchange. The toxin had an M(r) of approximately 9.5 kD, a pl of 9.6-9.9, did not exhibit subunit behavior in SDS-PAGE profiles and lacked phospholipase A, proteolytic, and hemolytic activity. The toxin had an i.p. LD(50) of 0.072 mg/kg. The lethal activity was found to represent less than 1% of the total venom protein, which was only 62-65% of crude venom. The toxin lacked antigenic identity with a number of representative neurotoxins and myotoxins. The crude venom shared at least one antigen with Crotalus scutulatus venom. This antigen was not Mojave toxin. The toxin appears symptomologically suggestive of a vasoactive peptide or neurotoxin with specific blocking activity upon respiratory innervation. (sdw)

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 31, 1990
Accession Number
ADA218038

Entities

People

  • Alan W. Bernheimer
  • Leonard A. Smith
  • Scott A. Weinstein

Organizations

  • United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Albumins
  • Amino Acids
  • Antibodies
  • Biomedical And Dental Materials
  • Biomedical Research
  • Chemistry
  • Chromatography
  • Erythrocytes
  • Flow Rate
  • Gel Electrophoresis
  • Immune Serums
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Liquid Chromatography
  • Materials
  • Molecular Sieves
  • Proteins

Readers

  • Microbial Pathology
  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
  • Superconducting Magnet Technology