SMase II, a new sphingomyelinase D from Loxosceles laeta venom gland: molecular cloning, expression, function and structural analysis.

Sphingomyelinase D (SMase D) present in the venoms of Loxosceles spiders is the principal component responsible for local and systemic effects observed in the loxoscelism. By using "expressed sequencing tag", it was possible to identify, in a L. laeta venom gland library, clones containing inserts coding for proteins with similarity to SMase D.