scholarly journals The genetics of venom ontogeny in the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin R. Rokyta ◽  
Mark J. Margres ◽  
Micaiah J. Ward ◽  
Elda E. Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
Snake Venom ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Intraspecific Divergence ◽  
Full Characterization ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Diamondback Rattlesnake ◽  
Putative Toxin

The same selective forces that give rise to rapid inter- and intraspecific divergence in snake venoms can also favor differences in venoms across life-history stages. Ontogenetic changes in venom composition are well known and widespread in snakes but have not been investigated to the level of unambiguously identifying the specific loci involved. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake was previously shown to undergo an ontogenetic shift in venom composition at sexual maturity, and this shift accounted for more venom variation than geography. To characterize the genetics underlying the ontogenetic venom compositional change in C. adamanteus, we sequenced adult/juvenile pairs of venom-gland transcriptomes from five populations previously shown to have different adult venom compositions. We identified a total of 59 putative toxin transcripts for C. adamanteus, and 12 of these were involved in the ontogenetic change. Three toxins were downregulated, and nine were upregulated in adults relative to juveniles. Adults and juveniles expressed similar total levels of snake-venom metalloproteinases but differed substantially in their featured paralogs, and adults expressed higher levels of Bradykinin-potentiating and C-type natriuretic peptides, nerve growth factor, and specific paralogs of phospholipases A2 and snake venom serine proteinases. Juvenile venom was more toxic to mice, indicating that the expression differences resulted in a phenotypically, and therefore potentially ecologically, significant difference in venom function. We also showed that adult and juvenile venom-gland transcriptomes for a species with known ontogenetic venom variation were equally effective at individually providing a full characterization of the venom genes of a species but that any particular individual was likely to lack several toxins in their transcriptome. A full characterization of a species’ venom-gene complement therefore requires sequencing more than one individual, although the ages of the individuals are unimportant.

scholarly journals Size Matters: An Evaluation of the Molecular Basis of Ontogenetic Modifications in the Composition of Bothrops jararacussu Snake Venom

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 791
Author(s):  
Luciana A. Freitas-de-Sousa ◽  
Pedro G. Nachtigall ◽  
José A. Portes-Junior ◽  
Matthew L. Holding ◽  
Gunnar S. Nystrom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Snake Venom ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Bothrops Jararacussu ◽  
Phospholipases A2 ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Putative Toxin

Ontogenetic changes in venom composition have been described in Bothrops snakes, but only a few studies have attempted to identify the targeted paralogues or the molecular mechanisms involved in modifications of gene expression during ontogeny. In this study, we decoded B. jararacussu venom gland transcripts from six specimens of varying sizes and analyzed the variability in the composition of independent venom proteomes from 19 individuals. We identified 125 distinct putative toxin transcripts, and of these, 73 were detected in venom proteomes and only 10 were involved in the ontogenetic changes. Ontogenetic variability was linearly related to snake size and did not correspond to the maturation of the reproductive stage. Changes in the transcriptome were highly predictive of changes in the venom proteome. The basic myotoxic phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) were the most abundant components in larger snakes, while in venoms from smaller snakes, PIII-class SVMPs were the major components. The snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) identified corresponded to novel sequences and conferred higher pro-coagulant and hemorrhagic functions to the venom of small snakes. The mechanisms modulating venom variability are predominantly related to transcriptional events and may consist of an advantage of higher hematotoxicity and more efficient predatory function in the venom from small snakes.

Preliminary Biochemical and Venomic Characterization of the Venom of Phalotris lemniscatus (Serpentes, Colubridae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (22) ◽  
pp. 1981-1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeny Bastida ◽  
Alejandro Crampet ◽  
Melitta Meneghel ◽  
Victor Morais
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Blood Coagulation ◽  
Snake Venom ◽  
Clinical Relevance ◽  
Protein Families ◽  
Snake Venoms ◽  
Highly Active ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Kunitz Type

Background: For many decades, research on snake venom toxinology focused mainly on the venoms of Viperidae and Elapidae species, which were traditionally the only ones considered as venomous. However, much less interest has been given to the venom produced by opisthoglyphous colubrid snakes, since they were typically considered of no clinical relevance. Objective: The aim of this work is to perform a preliminary biochemical and venomic characterization of the venom of the colubrid snake Phalotris lemniscatus, a species that has been responsible for two relevant cases of envenomation in Uruguay. Methods: We extracted venom from collected specimens and performed different biochemical and proteomic assays to understand its toxin composition. Results: We found that the venom of P. lemniscatus is composed of protein families typically present in snake venoms, such as metallo and serine preoteases, L-amino acid oxidases, phospholipases A2s, Ctype lectines-like, Kunitz-type proteins and three-finger toxins. Activity assays demonstrated a highly active gelatinolytic component as well as a potent capability to induce blood coagulation. Conclusion: The results indicate that the venom of P. lemniscatus contains hemotoxic activities and components that resemble those found in Viperidae (Bothrops) snakes and that can induce a clinically relevant accident. Further studies are needed to better understand the venom composition of this colubrid snake and its most active compounds.

scholarly journals Proteopeptidomic, Functional and Immunoreactivity Characterization of Bothrops moojeni Snake Venom: Influence of Snake Gender on Venom Composition

Toxins ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Amorim ◽  
Tassia Costa ◽  
Dominique Baiwir ◽  
Edwin De Pauw ◽  
Loic Quinton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snake Venom ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Bothrops Moojeni

scholarly journals Community venomics reveals intra-species variations in venom composition of a local population of Vipera kaznakovi in Northeastern Turkey

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Petras ◽  
Benjamin-Florian Hempel ◽  
Bayram Göçmen ◽  
Mert Karis ◽  
Gareth Whiteley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snake Venom ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
Intact Protein ◽  
List Type ◽  
Snake Venoms ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Snake Bites

AbstractWe report on the variable venom composition of a population of the Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi) in Northeastern Turkey. We applied a combination of venom gland transcriptomics, as well as de-complexing bottom-up and top-down venomics, enabling the comparison of the venom proteomes from multiple individuals. In total, we identified peptides and proteins from 15 toxin families, including snake venom metalloproteinases (svMP; 37.8%), phospholipases A2 (PLA2; 19.0%), snake venom serine proteinases (svSP; 11.5%), C-type lectins (CTL; 6.9%) and cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISP; 5.0%), in addition to several low abundant toxin families. Furthermore, we identified intra-species variations of the V. kaznakovi venom composition, and find these were mainly driven by the age of the animals, with lower svSP abundance in juveniles. On a proteoform level, several small molecular weight toxins between 5 and 8 kDa in size, as well as PLA2s, drove the difference between juvenile and adult individuals. This study provides first insights into venom variability of V. kaznakovi and highlights the utility of intact mass profiling for a fast and detailed comparison of snake venoms of individuals from a community.Biological SignificancePopulation level and ontogenetic venom variation (e.g. diet, habitat, sex or age) can cause a loss of antivenom efficacy against snake bites from wide ranging snake populations. The state of the art for the analysis of snake venoms are de-complexing bottom-up proteomics approaches. While useful, these have the significant drawback of being time-consuming and following costly protocols, and consequently are often applied to pooled venom samples. To overcome these shortcomings and to enable rapid and detailed profiling of large numbers of individual venom samples, we integrated an intact protein analysis workflow into a transcriptomics-guided bottom-up approach. The application of this workflow to snake individuals of a local population of V. kaznakovi revealed intra-species variations in venom composition, which are primarily explained by the age of the animals, and highlighted svSP abundance to be one of the molecular drivers for the compositional differences.HighlightsFirst community venomic analysis of a local population of the Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznakovi).The venom gland transcriptome of V. kaznakovi identified 46 toxin genes relating to 15 venom toxin families.Bottom-up venomics revealed the identification of 25 proteins covering 7 toxin families mainly dominated by snake venom metalloproteinases (svMP).Community venomics by top-down mass profiling revealed ontogenetic shifts between juvenile and adult snakes.

scholarly journals Recombinant Production and Characterization of a New Toxin from Cryptops iheringi Centipede Venom Revealed by Proteome and Transcriptome Analysis

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 858
Author(s):  
Lhiri Hanna De Lucca Caetano ◽  
Milton Yutaka Nishiyama-Jr ◽  
Bianca de Carvalho Lins Fernandes Távora ◽  
Ursula Castro de Oliveira ◽  
Inácio de Loiola Meirelles Junqueira-de-Azevedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptome Analysis ◽  
Proteomic Analysis ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
The State ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Recombinant Form ◽  
Recombinant Production ◽  
Putative Toxin

Among the Chilopoda class of centipede, the Cryptops genus is one of the most associated with envenomation in humans in the metropolitan region of the state of São Paulo. To date, there is no study in the literature about the toxins present in its venom. Thus, in this work, a transcriptomic characterization of the Cryptops iheringi venom gland, as well as a proteomic analysis of its venom, were performed to obtain a toxin profile of this species. These methods indicated that 57.9% of the sequences showed to be putative toxins unknown in public databases; among them, we pointed out a novel putative toxin named Cryptoxin-1. The recombinant form of this new toxin was able to promote edema in mice footpads with massive neutrophils infiltration, linking this toxin to envenomation symptoms observed in accidents with humans. Our findings may elucidate the role of this toxin in the venom, as well as the possibility to explore other proteins found in this work.

scholarly journals Ontogenetic Change in the Venom of Mexican Black-Tailed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus molossus nigrescens)

Toxins ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Borja ◽  
Edgar Neri-Castro ◽  
Rebeca Pérez-Morales ◽  
Jason Strickland ◽  
Roberto Ponce-López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mass ◽  
Snake Venom ◽  
Serine Proteinases ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Reverse Phase Hplc ◽  
Reverse Phase ◽  
Venom Composition ◽  
Hemorrhagic Activity ◽  
Ecological Implications ◽  
Total Body

Ontogenetic changes in venom composition have important ecological implications due the relevance of venom in prey acquisition and defense. Additionally, intraspecific venom variation has direct medical consequences for the treatment of snakebite. However, ontogenetic changes are not well documented in most species. The Mexican Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus nigrescens) is large-bodied and broadly distributed in Mexico. To document venom variation and test for ontogenetic changes in venom composition, we obtained venom samples from twenty-seven C. m. nigrescens with different total body lengths (TBL) from eight states in Mexico. The primary components in the venom were detected by reverse-phase HPLC, western blot, and mass spectrometry. In addition, we evaluated the biochemical (proteolytic, coagulant and fibrinogenolytic activities) and biological (LD50 and hemorrhagic activity) activities of the venoms. Finally, we tested for recognition and neutralization of Mexican antivenoms against venoms of juvenile and adult snakes. We detected clear ontogenetic venom variation in C. m. nigrescens. Venoms from younger snakes contained more crotamine-like myotoxins and snake venom serine proteinases than venoms from older snakes; however, an increase of snake venom metalloproteinases was detected in venoms of larger snakes. Venoms from juvenile snakes were, in general, more toxic and procoagulant than venoms from adults; however, adult venoms were more proteolytic. Most of the venoms analyzed were hemorrhagic. Importantly, Mexican antivenoms had difficulties recognizing low molecular mass proteins (<12 kDa) of venoms from both juvenile and adult snakes. The antivenoms did not neutralize the crotamine effect caused by the venom of juveniles. Thus, we suggest that Mexican antivenoms would have difficulty neutralizing some human envenomations and, therefore, it may be necessary improve the immunization mixture in Mexican antivenoms to account for low molecular mass proteins, like myotoxins.

Cloning and characterization of a basic phospholipase A2 homologue from Micrurus corallinus (coral snake) venom gland

Toxicon ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Castro de Oliveira ◽  
Alessandra Assui ◽  
Álvaro Rossan de Brandão Prieto da Silva ◽  
Jane Silveira de Oliveira ◽  
Paulo Lee Ho
Keyword(s):  
Phospholipase A2 ◽  
Snake Venom ◽  
Venom Gland ◽  
Coral Snake

A Thorough Theoretical Exploration of Intriguing Characteristics of Cyclo[18]carbon: Geometry, Bonding Nature, Aromaticity, Weak Interaction, Reactivity, Excited States, Vibrations, Molecular Dynamics and Various Molecular Properties

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Lu ◽  
Qinxue Chen ◽  
Zeyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Excited States ◽  
Electronic Excitation ◽  
Ring Structure ◽  
Molecular Properties ◽  
Molecular Vibration ◽  
Full Characterization ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Almost All

Although cyclo[18]carbon has been theoretically and experimentally investigated since long time ago, only very recently it was prepared and directly observed by means of STM/AFM in condensed phase (Kaiser et al., <i>Science</i>, <b>365</b>, 1299 (2019)). The unique ring structure and dual 18-center π delocalization feature bring a variety of unusual characteristics and properties to the cyclo[18]carbon, which are quite worth to be explored. In this work, we present an extremely comprehensive and detailed investigation on almost all aspects of the cyclo[18]carbon, including (1) Geometric characteristics (2) Bonding nature (3) Electron delocalization and aromaticity (4) Intermolecular interaction (5) Reactivity (6) Electronic excitation and UV/Vis spectrum (7) Molecular vibration and IR/Raman spectrum (8) Molecular dynamics (9) Response to external field (10) Electron ionization, affinity and accompanied process (11) Various molecular properties. We believe that our full characterization of the cyclo[18]carbon will greatly deepen researchers' understanding of this system, and thereby help them to utilize it in practice and design its various valuable derivatives.

A Thorough Theoretical Exploration of Intriguing Characteristics of Cyclo[18]carbon: Geometry, Bonding Nature, Aromaticity, Weak Interaction, Reactivity, Excited States, Vibrations, Molecular Dynamics and Various Molecular Properties

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Lu ◽  
Qinxue Chen ◽  
Zeyu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Excited States ◽  
Electronic Excitation ◽  
Ring Structure ◽  
Molecular Properties ◽  
Molecular Vibration ◽  
Full Characterization ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Almost All

Although cyclo[18]carbon has been theoretically and experimentally investigated since long time ago, only very recently it was prepared and directly observed by means of STM/AFM in condensed phase (Kaiser et al., <i>Science</i>, <b>365</b>, 1299 (2019)). The unique ring structure and dual 18-center π delocalization feature bring a variety of unusual characteristics and properties to the cyclo[18]carbon, which are quite worth to be explored. In this work, we present an extremely comprehensive and detailed investigation on almost all aspects of the cyclo[18]carbon, including (1) Geometric characteristics (2) Bonding nature (3) Electron delocalization and aromaticity (4) Intermolecular interaction (5) Reactivity (6) Electronic excitation and UV/Vis spectrum (7) Molecular vibration and IR/Raman spectrum (8) Molecular dynamics (9) Response to external field (10) Electron ionization, affinity and accompanied process (11) Various molecular properties. We believe that our full characterization of the cyclo[18]carbon will greatly deepen researchers' understanding of this system, and thereby help them to utilize it in practice and design its various valuable derivatives.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document