A phosphodiesterase was purified from the venom of the snake Bothrops alternatus by a combination of gel filtration and ion exchange chromatographies. In SDS-PAGE, the enzyme gave a single band with a molecular mass of 105 kDa, which was unaltered in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol, indicating that the protein contained no subunits. A single protein band was also observed in native PAGE. There were no contaminating 5'-nucleotidase, alkaline phosphatase and protease activities. The enzyme was recognized by commercial bothropic antiserum and gave a single band in immunoblotting. The enzyme had a pH optimum in the range of 7.5-9.5 and the optimum temperature was 60 degrees C, with activity being rapidly lost within 1 min at > or = 70 degrees C. The Km of the enzyme was 2.69 mM. PDE activity was potentiated by cobalt and, to a lesser extent, by calcium, whereas copper, manganese, zinc, EDTA, and beta-mercaptoethanol were inhibitory. These properties show that this enzyme is very similar to that isolated from other snake venoms.
Lysozymes are mostly known for their defensive role against bacteria, but in several animals lysozymes have a digestive function. Here, the initial crystallographic characterization of two digestive lysozymes from Musca domestica are presented. The proteins were crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method in the presence of ammonium sulfate or PEG/2-propanol as the precipitant. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a maximum resolution of 1.9 angstroms using synchrotron radiation. The lysozyme 1 and 2 crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1) (unit-cell parameters a = 36.52, b = 79.44, c = 45.20 angstroms, beta = 102.97 degrees) and the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2 (unit-cell parameters a = 73.90, b = 96.40, c = 33.27 angstroms), respectively. The crystal structures were solved by molecular replacement and structure refinement is in progress.
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