Mandelbaum F R, Reichel A P, Assakura M T
Toxicon. 1982;20(6):955-72. doi: 10.1016/0041-0101(82)90098-8.
Bothropasin, one of the proteases from the venom of Bothrops jararaca active on casein, was isolated by ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatographies and Sephadex G-100 column filtration. The preparation possessed no other detectable activities which are present in the crude venom. Addition of Ca2+ during purification stabilized the enzyme. The endopeptidase was inhibited by EDTA and EGTA; Ca2+ did not restore the activity of the inhibited enzyme. The material was homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses at different pH values, immunoprecipitation and crossed immunoelectrophoresis. By SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis the denatured and reduced enzyme had only a 48,000 molecular weight band. In the presence of 6 M guanidine-HCl and 0.1 M beta-mercaptoethanol the preparation showed a value of 49,870 by sedimentation equilibrium. The native tertiary structure of the protein is dependent on S-S and metal bonds. The denatured and reduced enzyme, in the presence of EDTA, showed a molecular weight of 37,300 by sedimentation equilibrium, a value which was also confirmed in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme hydrolyzed five peptide bonds: His-Leu (5-6), His-Leu(10-11), Ala-Leu(14-15), Tyr-Leu(16-17) and Phe-Phe(24-25) in the B-chain of oxidized insulin.
