The venom gland extracts of the sea snake Laticauda semifasciata contained at least four forms of phospholipase A separable on a CM-cellulose column. They were designated as phospholipases A I-IV in the order of elution from the column. Phospholipases A I, III, and IV were isolated in a homogeneous state. They were similar to one another in amino acid composition and molecular weight (14,000) as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Phospholipase A I contained one tryptophan residue. whereas III and IV did not. Although all these forms had the same A2-type positional specificity, they were classified into two groups (I, and III and IV) on the basis of enzymic properties. Phospholipase A I had a higher specific activity and showed normal kinetics, whereas III and IV had approximately one-tenth of the specific activity of I and showed biphasic kinetics due to their activation by the reaction products. Phospholipase A I, the major form, seems to be identical with phospholipase A reported previously (Tu, A.T., Passey, R.B., & Toom, P.M. (1970) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 140, 96-106), whereas the other two, III and IV, are new. Phospholipase A I became more like III and IV in enzymic properties on modification with N-bromosuccinimide.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.