The amino acid sequences of erabutoxins, neurotoxic proteins of sea-snake (Laticauda semifasciata) venom

1. Erabutoxin b was reduced, S-carboxymethylated and hydrolysed with trypsin. Seven tryptic fragments were isolated by column chromatography and paper electrophoresis. Some of the fragments were further hydrolysed with alpha-chymotrypsin, pepsin, Nagarse, Proctase A or Proctase B. The amino acid sequences of the fragment peptides were determined by subtractive Edman degradation. 2. From the tryptic digest of reduced, S-carboxymethylated and trifluoroacetylated erabutoxin b two fragments were isolated. From the amino acid composition of the fragments and from the terminal sequence studies on the reduced and S-carboxymethylated erabutoxin b, the sequence of the above seven tryptic fragments was elucidated. 3. The tryptic digestion of reduced and S-carboxymethylated erabutoxin a gave fragments, only one of which was different from the corresponding fragment from erabutoxin b. The amino acid sequence analysis of the fragment peptide showed that the only difference between erabutoxins a and b was that the former had asparagine and the latter had histidine at position 26.