title: Isolation and characterization of an arginine ester hydrolase from Bothrops jararacussu venom which induces contractions of the isolated rat uterus.
abstract: The isolation and partial characterization of a serine protease with arginine ester hydrolase activity from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom are described. The purification procedure consisted of a gel filtration of the crude venom on Sephadex G-75 followed by an ion-exchange chromatography of the active fraction on DEAE-cellulose and a rechromatography on Bio-Rex 70 resin. The esterase fraction (DI-III), M(r) = 25,000 by SDS-PAGE, showed proteolytic activity on fibrinogen and casein. After 2 hr incubation, the A alpha and B beta chains of fibrinogen were intensely hydrolysed, while the gamma chain kept apparently intact, even after 20 hr of incubation. In spite of that, DI-III did not clot fibrinogen. DI-III induced edema in the rat paw. Although unable to release bradykinin, it induced contractions of the isolated rat uterus. DI-III did not catalyse the hydrolysis of bradykinin. Its arginine ester hydrolase activity was completely inhibited by diisopropyl fluorophosphate after 1 hr incubation, but not by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride under the same conditions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017837:Bothrops; D001920:Bradykinin / Q000378:metabolism; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009215:Myometrium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar