LOPHOZOZYMUS PICTOR TOXIN - A FLUORESCENT STRUCTURAL ISOMER OF PALYTOXIN

Purified Lophozozymus pictor toxin (LPTX) shares many properties simil ar to palytoxin (PTX). LPTX and palytoxin isolated from Palythoa carib aeorum (C-PTX) have similar mel. wts of approx. 2680 on ionspray mass spectrometry (MS). In addition, antibodies against PTX could recognize and bind LPTX. Mixed mode high-performance liquid chromatography (HPL C) of LPTX, C-PTX and H-PTX (isolated from Palythoa tuberculosa) showe d a major PTX component common to all three with the characteristic PT X-like UV spectrum at a retention time (R(t)) of 17 min. However, LPTX exhibits fluorescence but PTX of equivalent toxicity does not. LPTX s howed a unique peak at R(t) of approx. 22 min on mixed mode HPLC. In a ddition, LPTX and C-PTX showed different ion fragmentation patterns on MS/MS. These results suggest that LPTX and the palytoxins are structu ral isomers, containing at least one difference which gives rise to fl uorescence in LPTX.