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Detection, Purification and Receptor Binding Assays of Insect Selective Neurotoxins Derived from Scorpion Venoms

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Neurochemical Techniques in Insect Research

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Experimental Entomology ((SSEXP))

Abstract

Arthropods have reached an incomparable degree of perfection in the employment of chemicals in order to deter predators or to immobilize their own prey. The former are mainly poisonous arthropods which are devoid of stinging devices, but they produce, store, and excrete toxic substances which serve for defensive purposes (Blum 1981). The latter are venomous arthropods which possess the proper instrumentation for stinging—piercing and direct introduction of toxic substances into the circulation and tissues of their prey and or opponent. Venomous systems can be also employed for defensive purposes and in social bees, for example, this appears to be the exclusive role of stinging (Schmidt 1982). The vast majority of venomous arthropods, however, are predators and they feed on living prey which comprises other arthropods, mainly insects (Zlotkin 1984). At the time that a chemical device is employed for the paralysis of prey which is often more vigorous and larger than the venomous predator, two demands should be satisfied: (1) rapid action (seconds, minutes); with (2) low doses (magnitude of nanograms or nanomolar concentration of the active substances in the body of the prey). The dosage-speed goal is achieved with the aid of two devices. The first is a physical device, the stinging apparatus, enabling the direct introduction of the venom into the circulation or close proximity to the critical target tissues.

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Abbreviations

AaIT:

the insect toxin derived from the venom of the scorpion Androctonus australis Hector

AaHI, II and III:

the mammalian toxins 1, 2 and 3 from the venom of the scorpion Androctonus australis Hector

AmIT:

the insect toxin derived from the venom of the scorpion Androctonus mauretanicus

BjIT1:

the contractive insect toxin derived from the venom of the scorpion Buthotus judaicus

BjIT2:

the flaccidity inducing insect toxin derived from the venom of the scorpion Buthotus judaicus

BSA:

bovine serum albumin

CssII:

the mammalian toxin 2 derived from the venom of the scorpion Centruroides suffusus suffusus

LqIT1:

the contractive insect toxin derived from the venum of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus quinquestriatus

LqIT2:

the flaccidity inducing insect toxin derived from the venom of the scorpion L. q. quinquestriatus

MR buffer:

0.25 M mannitol, 5 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.4 buffer

KPi solution-loading medium:

0.1 M K2HPO4-KH2PO4 pH6.8, 1 mM MgSO4

SmIT1:

insect toxin 1 derived from the venom of the chactoid scorpion Scorpio maurus palmatus (Scorpionidae)

SmIT2:

insect toxin 2 from the venom of S. m. palmatus

TPP+ :

tetraphenyl phosphonium bromide

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  1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    E. Zlotkin & D. Gordon

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  1. E. Zlotkin
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  2. D. Gordon
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  1. Fachbereich Biologie/Chemie, Universität Osnabrück, Barbarastraße 11, 4500, Osnabrück, Germany

    Heinz Breer

  2. Department of Entomology, Division of Toxicology & Physiology, University of California at Riverside, 92521, Riverside, California, USA

    Thomas A. Miller

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Zlotkin, E., Gordon, D. (1985). Detection, Purification and Receptor Binding Assays of Insect Selective Neurotoxins Derived from Scorpion Venoms. In: Breer, H., Miller, T.A. (eds) Neurochemical Techniques in Insect Research. Springer Series in Experimental Entomology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70045-3_11

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