Characterisation of a mannose-binding C-type lectin from Oxyuranus scutellatus snake venom

C-type lectins are calcium-dependent sugar binding proteins and are distributed ubiquitously amongst vertebrate organisms. As part of a wider study on Australian snake venom components, we have identified and characterised a C-type lectin from the venom of Oxyuranus scutellatus (Australian coastal taipan) with mannose-binding activity. This protein exhibited a subunit molecular mass of 15 kDa and was found to bind mannose and also bind to and agglutinate erythrocytes in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. cDNA transcripts coding for C-lectin proteins were cloned and sequenced from six Australian elapid snake species and an antibody generated against the O. scutellatus mannose-binding C-lectin identified C-lectin proteins in the venom of 13 Australian elapid snakes by immunoblotting. Experimental evidence and molecular modelling also suggest that this protein exhibits a unique dimeric structure. This is the first confirmed example of a snake venom C-lectin with mannose-binding activity.