A novel bactericidal homodimeric PLA group-I from Walterinnesia aegyptia venom.

A novel non-toxic phospholipase A was purified to homogeneity in a single chromatography step from the venom of Walterinnesia aegyptia, a monotypic elapid snake caught in Saudi Arabia, and its antimicrobial and hemolytic properties were evaluated as well. This enzyme, namely WaPLA, is a homodimer with an estimated molecular mass of 30 kDa, and its NH-terminal sequence exhibits a significant degree of similarity with PLA group-I. At optimal pH (8.