Ramos M V, Mota D M, Teixeira C R, Cavada B S, Moreira R A
Laboratório de Biologia, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil.
Toxicon. 1998 Mar;36(3):477-84. doi: 10.1016/s0041-0101(97)00153-0.
The seeds of Abrus pulchellus, sub-specie tenuiflorus, belonging to the Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionoideae contain highly toxic lectins exhibiting specificity for galactose and galactose-containing structures. The toxins which agglutinate rabbit erythrocytes, present a highly toxic activity in vivo when injected in the peritoneal cavity of mice (LD50=31 microg x kg(-1)) or when tested with the microcrustacean Arthemia salina (LD50=3.5 microg x ml(-1)). The active fraction was purified in a single step, by affinity chromatography on a Sepharose-4B column. The purified toxins migrated as two single bands of Mr 63000 and 61500 Da (SDS-PAGE) and Mr 31500 and 29000 Da (SDS-PAGE with 2-mercaptoethanol), respectively, suggesting the presence of disulphide-bridge interchains as occurs in other plant toxins. The antibodies anti-A. pulchellus toxins did not recognize ricin preparation and only partial identity was observed to A. precatorius toxic lectins prepared in a similar way to ricin and A. pulchellus toxins.
毛相思子（Abrus pulchellus）细花亚种的种子属于豆科蝶形花亚科，含有对半乳糖和含半乳糖结构具有特异性的剧毒凝集素。这些能凝集兔红细胞的毒素，当注入小鼠腹腔时（半数致死量LD50 = 31微克×千克-1），或用小型甲壳动物卤虫（Arthemia salina）进行测试时（半数致死量LD50 = 3.5微克×毫升-1），在体内呈现出高毒性活性。活性组分通过在琼脂糖-4B柱上进行亲和层析一步纯化。纯化后的毒素分别以分子量63000和61500道尔顿的两条单带（十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳）以及分子量31500和29000道尔顿的两条单带（添加2-巯基乙醇的十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳）迁移，这表明存在如其他植物毒素中那样的二硫键链间连接。抗毛相思子毒素的抗体不能识别蓖麻毒素制剂，并且与以类似蓖麻毒素的方式制备的毛相思子毒素和鸡母珠（A. precatorius）毒性凝集素仅观察到部分同源性。
