title: Identification of the snake venom substance that induces apoptosis.
abstract: Hemorrhagic snake venom induces apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells [S. Araki, T. Ishida, T. Yamamoto, K. Kaji, and H. Hayashi (1993) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 190 , 148-153]. We have identified that a cytotoxic substance of Korean snake venom which is responsible for the apoptosis is L-amino acid oxidase (LAO). The purified enzyme is a homodimeric glycoprotein of 110,000 and is capable of generating H2O2 by catalyzing oxidation of L-amino acid. In the presence of the enzyme, cultured L1210 cell nuclei were splitted and showed the characteristic ladder-like pattern of DNA fragmentation. The enzyme binds directly to the cell surface, thereby increasing local concentration of H2O2. However, experimental evidence suggests that the LAO-induced apoptotic mechanism is distinguished from the one caused by exogenous H2O2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Suhr
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D050830:L-Amino Acid Oxidase; D007939:Leukemia L1210; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D013154:Spleen; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: C031442:Agkistrodon venoms; D003435:Crotalid Venoms; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004247:DNA; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases; D050830:L-Amino Acid Oxidase