Isolamento, caracterização estrutural e funcional de uma nova fosfolipase A2 Lys49 (BnuTX-I) do veneno de Bothrops neuwiedi urutu (Amaral, 1937)

Abstract

Venom components from snakes of the Bothrops genus have a wide range of biological actions that are not yet fully identified or understood. Of these compounds, phospholipases A2 have shown different potential for biotechnological applications. The objectives of this study were to isolate and biochemically and biologically characterize a Lys49 phospholipase A2 from Bothrops neuwiedi urutu venom. The protein was obtained with an elevated degree of purity after two chromatographic steps, the first being anion exchange (DEAE column) and the second reverse phase in a C18 column. The degree of purity and relative molecular mass were assessed by SDS-PAGE, obtaining a typical molecular mass of an svPLA2 of approximately 14 kDa, which was later confirmed by Mass Spectrometry, obtaining a mass value (m/z) of 13,733 Da. Analysis of the phospholipase activity, carried out on the substrate 4N3OBA showed that the isolated PLA2 is enzymatically inactive. The analyses using the Edman degradation method and that of the peptide fragments allowed for the identification of 108 of the toxin’s amino acid residues; high identity was observed with other phospholipases present in the venom of other species of snakes of the Bothrops genus. The data confirmed that it is a novel PLA2-Lys49 isoform from B. n. urutu venom, called BnuTX-I. The modeling in the dimeric form of the molecular structure of the toxin showed about 99.15% homology with PLA2-homologue 1 from Bothrops jararacussu (PDB code: 3I03) and identified the tertiary structure and active site. Biological assays in murine models revealed that both BnuTX-I and the venom were able to induce edema and myotoxic responses. Hemorrhagic activity was only observed for the venom. The antimicrobial and parasitic assays with the venom and BnuTX-I showed, mostly, the growth inhibition of P. aeruginosa strains and L. amazonensis promastigote forms with a CC50 of 22.91 μg/mL and a selectivity index (SI) of 0.44. As for the cytotoxic effects of BnuTX-I in murine macrophages, the toxin presented cytotoxicity at different concentrations (μg/mL), and the production of IL 1β cytokines was observed. The results allowed for the identification and characterization of a new myotoxin isoform with potential for future biotechnological applications.