What makes a giant jellyfish's sting deadly?

Date:
June 10, 2020
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
With summer on the way, and some beaches reopening after COVID-19
shutdowns, people will be taking to the ocean to cool off on a
hot day.

But those unlucky enough to encounter the giant jellyfish Nemopilema
nomurai (also known as Nomura's jellyfish) might wish they had
stayed on shore. Now, researchers have identified the key toxins
that make the creature's venom deadly to some swimmers.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
With summer on the way, and some beaches reopening after COVID-19
shutdowns, people will be taking to the ocean to cool off on a hot
day. But those unlucky enough to encounter the giant jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai (also known as Nomura's jellyfish) might wish they had stayed on
shore. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research
have identified the key toxins that make the creature's venom deadly to
some swimmers.


========================================================================== Found in coastal waters of China, Korea and Japan, Nomura's jellyfish
can grow up to 6.6 feet in diameter and weigh up to 440 pounds. This
behemoth stings hundreds of thousands of people per year, causing severe
pain, redness, swelling, and in some cases, even shock or death. The jellyfish's venom is a complex brew of numerous toxins, some of which
resemble poisons found in other organisms, such as snakes, spiders,
bees and bacteria. Rongfeng Li, Pengcheng Li and colleagues wanted to
determine which of the many toxins in the jellyfish's venom actually
cause death. The answer could help scientists develop drugs to counteract jellyfish stings.

The researchers captured N. nomurai jellyfish off the coast of Dalian,
China, and collected their tentacles, which contain the venom. They
extracted venom proteins and separated them into different fractions
using chromatography. By injecting each protein fraction into mice,
the team identified one that killed the animals. Autopsies revealed
damage to the mice's heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. The researchers
used mass spectrometry to identify 13 toxin-like proteins in this lethal fraction. Some of the jellyfish proteins were similar to harmful enzymes
and proteins found in poisonous snakes, spiders and bees.

Instead of any one toxin being lethal, it's likely that multiple poisons
work in concert to cause death, the researchers say.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Chemical_Society. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Rongfeng Li, Huahua Yu, Tong Li, Pengcheng Li. Comprehensive
Proteome
Reveals the Key Lethal Toxins in the Venom of Jellyfish Nemopilema
nomurai. Journal of Proteome Research, 2020; 19 (6): 2491 DOI:
10.1021/ acs.jproteome.0c00277 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200610120958.htm

--- up 20 weeks, 1 day, 2 hours, 34 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)