Helodermin-like immunoreactivity is artefactually increased in bovine brain by the presence of calmodulin

A chromatographic procedure was developed to purify to homogeneity the helodermin-immunoreactive material present in bovine brain. Most of that material turned out to be calmodulin. Our results suggest that at a least a large part of the helodermin-like material claimed to be present in mammalian tissues is an artefact due to the high affinity binding of [I-125]-helodermin to calmodulin.