title: Monoclonal antibodies neutralizing the toxin II from Androctonus australis hector scorpion venom: usefulness of a synthetic, non-toxic analog.
abstract: Scorpion venom contains toxins that act on ion channels. Some are responsible for the noxious effects observed when people are stung by scorpions. The study of the neutralization of these molecules and the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) should prove valuable. Toxin II from Androctonus australis hector scorpion (AahII) is one of the most potent toxins and has been well-characterized and studied. Producing mAbs against such molecules is often difficult due to their toxicity. We used a synthetic, non-toxic analog, (Abu)8-AahII, to obtain mAbs which recognize and neutralize the native toxin AahII. Sets of peptides spanning the entire sequence of AahII were assayed to identify the binding sites of the mAbs. The various mAbs recognized only the largest peptides (12-17 residues). They recognized peptides corresponding to different parts of the AahII sequence, suggesting that several regions of the (Abu)8-AahII sequence mimic AahII epitopes and then elicit mAbs directed against toxin.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR 6560, Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Protéines, Faculté de Médecine-Nord, Marseille, France. devaux.c@jean-roche.univ-mrs.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Devaux
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Clot-Faybesse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Juin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mabrouk
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sabatier
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rochat
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D001667:Binding, Competitive / Q000276:immunology; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D005260:Female; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000378:metabolism; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D030162:Reptilian Proteins; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000633:toxicity; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D009498:Neurotoxins; D010455:Peptides; D030162:Reptilian Proteins; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; C053969:scorpion toxin II, Androctonus