title: Antibodies against Tityus discrepans venom do not abolish the effect of Tityus serrulatus venom on the rat sodium and potassium channels.
abstract: Anti-(Tityus serrulatus + Tityus bahiensis) and anti-Tityus discrepans venom polyclonal antisera were used to investigate whether antigenic differences exist between the venoms of the Brazilian T. serrulatus and the Venezuelan T. discrepans scorpions. Both antisera recognised the toxin-containing electrophoretic fractions of their cognate venoms and also those from Tityus zulianus and Tityus trinitatis venoms on Western blots. The anti-T. discrepans antiserum reacted only weakly with T. serrulatus toxic polypeptides. The effect of T. serrulatus alpha- or beta-toxins on rat skeletal muscle Na+ channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes was abolished by pre-incubating the venom with anti-(T. serrulatus + T. bahiensis) serum but not with anti-T. discrepans serum. Nor did the Brazilian or the Venezuelan sera prevent the reduction in K+ currents by T. serrulatus venom in X. laevis oocytes expressing the rat brain delayed rectifying Shaker K+ channel (Kv1.2). These results indicate that toxins from T. serrulatus and T. discrepans venoms, which primarily target mammalian Na+ channels, are antigenically distinct, although they probably share common epitopes. Our results also suggest that Na+ channel-active toxins are the immunodominant antigens of the T. serrulatus venom.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Celular, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Sartenejas, Caracas, Venezuela. aborges@mailexcite.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Tsushima
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Backx
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D000997:Antivenins / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000633:toxicity; D012605:Scorpions; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D015221:Potassium Channels; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D015222:Sodium Channels