STRUCTURES OF SPIDER TOXINS - HYDROXYINDOLE-3-ACETYLPOLYAMINES AND A NEW GENERALIZED STRUCTURE OF TYPE-E COMPOUNDS OBTAINED FROM THE VENOM OF THE JORO SPIDER, NEPHILA-CLAVATA

Facile structure determination of acylpolyamines, glutamatergic nerve blocker obtained from the venom of the Joro spider (Nephila clavata) w as carried out with the use of mu-column LC/MS and high energy collisi on induced dissociation (CID) mass spectrometry. 6-hydroxyindole-3-ace tyl was proposed previously as a putative partial structure, for the a cyl moiety of hydroxyindole-type polyamines (NPTX-1 similar to 6). The NMR data obtained for NPTX-6, NPTX-687 and hydroxyindole-3-acetic aci d which was released by acid hydrolysis of Nephila clavata crude venom extracts proved that the lipophilic head is the 4-hydroxyindole-3-ace tic acid. Various hydroxyindole-3-acetyl polyamines were found in N, c lavata venom and characterized by mass spectrometry. As a result, type -E, a new class of generalized acylpolyamine structure was proposed in addition to the previously reported polyamine backbones type-A to -D. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.