Characterization of an 11,000-dalton beta-bungarotoxin: binding and enzyme activity on rat brain synaptosomal membranes

The binding and phospholipase A2 activity of an 11,000-dalton beta-bungarotoxin, isolated from Bungarus multicincutus venom, have been characterized using rat brain subcellular fractions as substrates. 125I-labeled beta-bungarotoxin binds rapidly (k = 0.14 min-1 and 0.11 min-1), saturably (Vmax = 130.1 +/- 5.0 fmoles/mg and 128.2 +/- 7.1) fmoles/mg), and with high affinity (apparent Kd = 0.8 +/- 0.1 nM and 0.7 +/- 0.1 nM) to rat brain mitochondria and synaptosomal membranes, respectively, but not to myelin. The binding to synaptosomal membranes is inhibited by divalent cations and by pretreatment with trypsin. The binding results suggest that the toxin binds to specific protein receptor sites on presynpatic membranes. The 11,000-dalton toxin rapidly hydrolyzes synaptosomal membrane phospholipids to lysophosphatides and manifests relative substrate specificity in the order phosphatidyl ethanolamine greater than phosphatidyl choline greater than phosphatidyl serine. These results indicate that the 11,000-dalton beta-bungarotoxin is a phospholipase A2 and can use presynaptic membrane phospholipids as substrates. The binding, phospholipase activity and other biological properties of the 11,000-dalton toxin are contrasted with those of the beta-bungarotoxin found in highest concentration in the venom (the 22,000-dalton beta-bungarotoxin), and the two toxins are shown to have qualitatively similar properties. Finally the results are shown to support the hypothesis that beta-bungarotoxins act in a two-step fashion to inhibit transmitter release: first, by binding to a protein receptor site on the presynatic membrane associated with Ca2+ entry, and second, by perturbing through enzymatic hydrolyses the phospholipid matrix of the membrane and thereby causing an increase in passive Ca2+ permeability.