Identification of C-type isolectins in the venom of the scorpionfish Scorpaena plumieri

Abstract Chemical analyses of the hemagglutinating fraction from Scorpaena plumieri venom revealed that it contains five components (Sp-CL 1-5) with similar chromatographic elution profiles (35–38% of acetonitrile), molecular masses (16,800–17,000 Da) and N-terminal sequences, suggesting that they are isoforms of the same protein. The amino acid sequence of Sp-CL4 was determined and shown to have homology with fish C-type lectins. These data demonstrate for the first time the presence of C-type isolectins in a scorpionfish venom.