title: Screening of Bothrops snake venoms for L-amino acid oxidase activity.
abstract: Toxins, enzymes, and biologically active peptides are the main components of snake venoms from the genus Bothrops. Following the venom inoculation, the local effects are hemorrhage, edema, and myonecrosis. Nineteen different species of Brazilian Bothrops were screened for protein content and L-amino acid oxidase activity. B. cotiara, formerly found in the South of Brazil, is now threatened with extinction. Its venom contains a highly hemorrhagic fraction and, as expected from the deep yellow color of the corresponding lyophilized powder, a high L-amino acid oxidase (LAO) activity was also characterized. Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is its associate coenzyme. B. cotiara venom LAO catalyzed the oxidative deamination of several L-amino acids, and the best substrates were methionine, leucine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine, hence, its potential application for the use of biosensors for aspartame determination and for the removal of amino acids from plasma. High levels for LAO were also found in other species than B. cotiara. In addition, the technique of isoelectric focusing (IEF) was employed as a powerful tool to study the iso- or multi-enzyme distribution for LAO activity in the B. cotiara snake venom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, UFPR-Federal University of Parana, Curitiba--PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pessatti
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Furtado
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Guimãraes
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Zanette
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baron
mesh_terms: D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017837:Bothrops / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005182:Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide / Q000737:chemistry; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D050830:L-Amino Acid Oxidase; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D011506:Proteins; D012910:Snake Venoms; D005182:Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases; D050830:L-Amino Acid Oxidase; D015032:Zinc