ELECTROPHORETIC AND IMMUNOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF MICRURUS SNAKE-VENOMS

The electrophoretic mobilities of venom components from 15 Micrurus sp ecies were studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The venoms s howed species-specific protein patterns under native (PAGE) or denatur ing (urea-PAGE) conditions. However, electrophoretic patterns obtained by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions were similar. The proteins of a ll venoms had mol. wts either in the range of 45 to 75 kDa or lower th an 14.5 kDa. PAGE and urea-PAGE of single extraction venom samples fro m 22 M. nigrocinctus nigrocinctus specimens revealed some proteins com pletely conserved, whereas others exhibited intraspecies variation. Ba sed on ELISA cross-reactivity studies with 11 monoclonal antibodies ag ainst M. n. nigrocinctus venom, venoms from M. n. nigrocinctus, M. nig rocinctus mosquitensis, M.fulvius fulvius, M. dumerilii carnicauda and M. albicinctus were included in the same antigenic group, whereas M. frontalis frontalis and M. frontalis braziliensis venoms constituted a second group. Micrurus alleni and M. spixii spixii showed reactivity patterns similar to groups 1 and 2, respectively. Venoms from M. surin amensis surinamensis, M. corallinus, M. ibiboboca, M. hemiprichii orto ni, M. lemniscatus helleri and M. mipartitus had unique cross-reactivi ty patterns with monoclonal antibodies against M. n. nigrocinctus veno m.