Immunological correspondence between arthropod hemocyanin subunits. I. Scorpion (Leiurus, Androctonus) and spider...

The hemocyanins of the scorpions Leiurus quinquestriatus and Androctonus australis, the tarantula Eurypelma californicum (all 24-mers), and the lycosid spider Cupiennius salei (dodecamer) were dissociated into subunits, the subunits isolated and studied by two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis for interspecific cross-reactivities. Androctonus hemocyanin yielded a pattern of 8 subunit types in agreement with data from Lamy et al. (1979, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 193, 140-149). Leiurus hemocyanin is also composed of 8 immunologically distinct subunits which could be assigned to the pattern of Androctonus in a subunit-to-subunit correlation. The subunit designations 1 to 6 of Lamy et al. could be adopted for both scorpion hemocyanins; however, in the present communication, Lamy's subunits 3A/3B are designated as 3'/3", because we could not unequivocally decide if 3' = 3A and 3" = 3B or vice versa. The 7 subunit types a to g of Eurypelma hemocyanin could be correlated with the scorpion hemocyanin subunits as follows: a = 3', b = 5B, c = 3C, d = 5A, e = 6, f = 2, g = 4. Additional cross-reactivities were detected between e/4, and f/5A, respectively. No subunit of Eurypelma hemocyanin is homologous to scorpion 3", which could not be precipitated by anti-Eurypelma antiserum. Antiserum against Cupiennius hemocyanin precipitated subunit f of Eurypelma and subunits 2 and 5A of scorpion hemocyanin. The published models of quaternary structure and a possible subunit phylogeny of arachnidan hemocyanins are discussed in view of the present results.