Abstract
WE have found the dry venom of the Brazilian rattlesnake (Crotalus t. terrificus) to contain about 60 per cent of a neurotoxic substance and about 10 per cent of a blood coagulating principle. The latter shows all the proteolytic as well as all the coagulating activity of the crude venom. It was not possible to obtain this protein in a homogeneous state or to crystallize it, but we were able to achieve in the best case a tenfold increase of activity. Since the blood coagulating and the proteolytic activity was always found in the same fraction, even when prepared in different ways, we believe that these two activities are due to the same protein. It can be obtained by saturating the venom solution to 40 per cent with ammonium sulphate, whereby it is precipitated adsorbed on inactive globulins. When removing the ammonium sulphate by dialysis, these globulins separate out and the supernatant solution contains the coagulating substance. It can be obtained as a colourless material on evaporating the water in the high vacuum after freezing. We were able further to purify the coagulating principle by redissolving it in distilled water and centrifuging off the undissolved material. Once it is highly purified, it shows the properties of an albumin. It can also be isolated from the mother liquors of the preparation of the neurotoxic principle.
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References
Slotta, K. H., and Fraenkel-Conrat, H., Bet. dtsch. Chem. Ges. (1938).
Slotta, K. H., and Fraenkel-Conrat, H., Ber. dtsch. Chem. Ges., 71, 264 (1938).
Slotta, K. H., and Forster, W., Ber. dtsch. Chem. Ges. (1938).
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SLOTTA, K., FRAENKEL-CONRAT, H. Two Active Proteins from Rattlesnake Venom. Nature 142, 213 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/142213a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/142213a0
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