Calcium imaging of muscle cells treated with snake myotoxins reveals toxin synergism and presence of acceptors

Snake myotoxins have a great impact on human health worldwide. Most of them adopt a phospholipase A2 fold and occur in two forms which often co-exist in the same venom: the Asp49 toxins hydrolyse phospholipids, whilst Lys49 toxins are enzymatically inactive. To gain insights into their mechanism of action, muscle cells were exposed to Bothrops myotoxins, and cytosolic Ca²⁺ and cytotoxicity were measured. In both myoblasts and myotubes, the myotoxins induced a rapid and transient rise in cytosolic [Ca²⁺], derived from intracellular stores, followed, only in myotubes, by a large Ca²⁺ influx and extensive cell death. Myoblast viability was unaffected. Notably, in myotubes Asp49 and Lys49 myotoxins acted synergistically to increase the plasma membrane Ca²⁺ permeability, inducing cell death. Therefore, these myotoxins may bind to acceptor(s) coupled to intracellular Ca²⁺ mobilization in both myoblasts and myotubes. However, in myotubes only, the toxins alter plasma membrane permeability, leading to death. Received 21 January 2009; received after revision 05 March 2009; accepted 11 March 2009