Title |
Phospholipase D Toxins of Brown Spider Venom Convert Lysophosphatidylcholine and Sphingomyelin to Cyclic Phosphates
|
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Published in |
PLOS ONE, August 2013
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0072372 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Daniel M. Lajoie, Pamela A. Zobel-Thropp, Vlad K. Kumirov, Vahe Bandarian, Greta J. Binford, Matthew H. J. Cordes |
Abstract |
Venoms of brown spiders in the genus Loxosceles contain phospholipase D enzyme toxins that can cause severe dermonecrosis and even death in humans. These toxins cleave the substrates sphingomyelin and lysophosphatidylcholine in mammalian tissues, releasing the choline head group. The other products of substrate cleavage have previously been reported to be monoester phospholipids, which would result from substrate hydrolysis. Using (31)P NMR and mass spectrometry we demonstrate that recombinant toxins, as well as whole venoms from diverse Loxosceles species, exclusively catalyze transphosphatidylation rather than hydrolysis, forming cyclic phosphate products from both major substrates. Cyclic phosphates have vastly different biological properties from their monoester counterparts, and they may be relevant to the pathology of brown spider envenomation. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 50 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 9 | 18% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 6 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 10% |
Student > Bachelor | 5 | 10% |
Professor | 5 | 10% |
Other | 12 | 24% |
Unknown | 9 | 18% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 20 | 39% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 8 | 16% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 6% |
Physics and Astronomy | 2 | 4% |
Materials Science | 2 | 4% |
Other | 5 | 10% |
Unknown | 11 | 22% |