Toxinological and immunological studies of capillary electrophoresis fractionated Chrysaora quinquecirrha (Desor) fishing tentacle and Chironex fleckeri Southcott nematocyst venoms

Repeated runs of capillary electrophoresis (CE) were used to study partiall y-purified jellyfish nematocyst venom protein in concentrations sufficient to perform toxinological assays. Nematocyst venoms from Chironex fleckeri ( Cf) and Chysaora quinquecirrha were processed. The CE eluate was divided in to quadrants by scanning protein content. The fourth fraction of both jelly fish venoms, contained proteins with the smallest molecular weight componen ts, which were responsible for the highest hemolysins and the humoral and c ell-mediated immunological activity. Cytotoxic Cf lethal factor activity ag ainst human liver cells was widely dispersed throughout both venoms but mor e prominent in fraction 4. A V-beta receptor human T-cell repertoire was no t species-specific for either crude or fractionated jellyfish nematocyst ve nom. (C) 2001 Elsevier science Inc. All rights reserved.