Dissociation of pharmacological and enzymatic activities of snake venom phospholipases A2 by modification of carboxylate groups

The carboxylate groups in an acidic and in a basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzyme, purified, respectively, from Naja naja atra and Naja nigricollis snake venoms, were modified with carbodiimide and semicarbazide. The derivatives modified at pH 3.5 and pH 5.5 had less than 1% (N. nigricollis) or 2% (N. n. atra) residual enzymatic activity, whereas 12-16% enzymatic activity remained following modification at pH 5.5 in the presence of Ca2+. In marked contrast, these derivatives retained variable, but significantly greater, levels of lethal potency, hemolytic and anticoagulant activities, and abilities to block indirectly and directly induced contractions of the diaphragm. By this modification of aspartic and glutamic acid residues we have, for the first time, obtained derivatives of PLA2 which selectively retain greater pharmacological activity relative to enzymatic activity. Previously, we had found that modification of lysine and arginine residues produced derivatives which retain enzymatic activity but show a loss of pharmacological properties. These findings suggest that some pharmacological effects of snake venom PLA2 enzymes are due to a non-enzymatic action, suggesting two distinct but perhaps overlapping active sites.