Identification of B cell recognized linear epitopes in a snake venom serine proteinase from the central American bushmaster Lachesis stenophrys

Current situation of snakebites envenomation in the Neotropics: Biotechnology, a versatile tool in the production of antivenoms

Snakebite envenomation is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people around the world with a great impact on health and the economy. Unfortunately, public health programs do not include this kind of disease as a priority in their social programs. Cases of snakebite envenomations in the Neotropics are inaccurate due to inadequate disease management from medical records to the choice of treatments. Victims of snakebite envenomation are primarily found in impoverished agricultural areas where remote conditions limit the availability of antivenom. Antivenom serum is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment used up to date. However, it has several disadvantages in terms of safety and effectiveness. This review provides a comprehensive insight dealing with the current epidemiological status of snakebites in the Neotropics and technologies employed in antivenom production. Also, modern biotechnological tools such as transcriptomic, proteomic, immunogenic, high-density peptide microarray and epitope mapping are highlighted for producing new-generation antivenom sera. These results allow us to propose strategic solutions in the Public Health Sector for managing this disease. Keywords: antivenom, biotechnology, neglected tropical disease, omics, recombinant antibody.

Whole-Genome Sequencing of Chinese Yellow Catfish Provides a Valuable Genetic Resource for High-Throughput Identification of Toxin Genes

Naturally derived toxins from animals are good raw materials for drug development. As a representative venomous teleost, Chinese yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) can provide valuable resources for studies on toxin genes. Its venom glands are located in the pectoral and dorsal fins. Although with such interesting biologic traits and great value in economy, Chinese yellow catfish is still lacking a sequenced genome. Here, we report a high-quality genome assembly of Chinese yellow catfish using a combination of next-generation Illumina and third-generation PacBio sequencing platforms. The final assembly reached 714 Mb, with a contig N50 of 970 kb and a scaffold N50 of 3.65 Mb, respectively. We also annotated 21,562 protein-coding genes, in which 97.59% were assigned at least one functional annotation. Based on the genome sequence, we analyzed toxin genes in Chinese yellow catfish. Finally, we identified 207 toxin genes and classified them into three major groups. Interestingly, we also expanded a previously reported sex-related region (to ≈6 Mb) in the achieved genome assembly, and localized two important toxin genes within this region. In summary, we assembled a high-quality genome of Chinese yellow catfish and performed high-throughput identification of toxin genes from a genomic view. Therefore, the limited number of toxin sequences in public databases will be remarkably improved once we integrate multi-omics data from more and more sequenced species.