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The primary structure of toxin B from the venom of the Indian cobra Naja naja
Author(s) -
Ohta Mitsuhiro,
Sasaki Toyosaku,
Hayashi Kyozo
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(76)80921-0
Subject(s) - library science , chemistry , computer science
Venoms of many species of snakes belonging to the family Elapidae (cobras, mambas, tiger snakes, black snakes, taipan, etc.) and Hydrophiidae (sea snakes) are highly toxic and produce flaccid paralysis and respiratory failure [ 1 ] . These effects have been attributed to the so-called ‘neurotoxins’ contained in the venoms. The toxins contained in the venom of Naja naja have been demonstrated to show a great affinity to the acetylcholine receptors on the motor endplate. Unlike the crude cobra venom, cobra neurotoxin produces neuromuscular block without causing muscle contracture or inhibition of the muscle response to direct stimulation even which high concentrations. The blockade produced by the neurotoxin can be reversed by neostigmine. Pretreatment with d-tubocurarine can protect the chick biventer cervicis muscle from the neuromuscular blocking action of cobra neurotoxins. In 1971, Karlsson et al. [2] reported that the venom of Naja naja naja, or spectacled Indian cobra contained two principal neurotoxins, which differ only by a serine/isoleucine substitution. In the course of the study of biologically active principles in the venom of N& naja, several neurotoxic proteins including Types I and II were isolated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 followed by chromatography on CM-cellulose [3]. Among these neurotoxins, toxins A and B were the major neurotoxins and the content of these toxins varied considerably with the preparation of the crude venom.