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Entiauspe-Neto OM, Nachtigall PG, Borges-Martins M, Junqueira-de-Azevedo ILM, Grazziotin FG. Highly conserved and extremely variable: The paradoxical pattern of toxin expression revealed by comparative venom-gland transcriptomics of Phalotris (Serpentes: Dipsadidae). Toxicon 2024; 244:107740. [PMID: 38705487 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Although non-front fanged snakes account for almost two-thirds of snake diversity, most studies on venom composition and evolution focus exclusively on front-fanged species, which comprise most of the clinically relevant accidents. Comprehensive reports on venom composition of non-front fanged snakes are still scarce for several groups. In this study, we address such shortage of knowledge by providing new insights about the venom composition among species of Phalotris, a poorly studied Neotropical dipsadid genus. Phalotris are known for their specialized venom delivery system and toxic venoms, which can cause life-threatening accidents in humans. We evaluate the venom-gland transcriptome of Phalotris, comparing the following three South American species: P. reticulatus for the Araucaria Pine forests, P. lemniscatus for the Pampa grasslands, and P. mertensi for the Brazilian Cerrado. Our results indicate similar venom profiles, in which they share a high expression level of Kunitz-type inhibitors (KUNZ). On the other hand, comparative analyses revealed substantial differences in the expression levels of C-type lectins (CTL) and snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMP). The diverse set of SVMP and CTL isoforms shows signals of positive selection, and we also identified truncated forms of type III SVMPs, which resemble type II and type I SVMPs of viperids. Additionally, we identified a CNP precursor hosting a proline-rich region containing a BPP motif resembling those commonly detected in viperid venoms with hypotensive activity. Altogether, our results suggest an evolutionary history favoring high expression levels of few KUNZ isoforms in Phalotris venoms, contrasting with a highly diverse set of SVMP and CTL isoforms. Such diversity can be comparable with the venom variability observed in some viperids. Our findings highlight the extreme phenotypic diversity of non-front fanged snakes and the importance to allocate greater effort to study neglected groups of Colubroidea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar M Entiauspe-Neto
- Laboratório de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Pedro G Nachtigall
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Aplicada, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Márcio Borges-Martins
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Felipe G Grazziotin
- Laboratório de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Smith P, Brouard JP, Cacciali P. A new species of Phalotris (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini) from Paraguay. ZOOSYST EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/zse.98.61064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A new species of Phalotris from the nasutus group, Phalotris shawnellasp. nov., is described. It can be distinguished from the other members of the group by having the following combination of characters: 1) fifth supralabial in contact with parietal, 2) vertebral stripe present, 3) yellowish nuchal collar (2 or 3 dorsal scales long), 4) dull reddish color of head, 5) broad, solidly or near solidly dark, lateral bands, 6) red-orange ventral scales lightly and irregularly spotted with black mainly on the posterior half of the body and 7) a bilobed, extremely asymmetrical hemipenis, with enlarged, curved, lateral spines. The species is only known from a recent specimen collected in the Cerrado zone of northeastern Paraguay at Rancho Laguna Blanca, San Pedro department, and two photographic records of live specimens from this and an additional locality. Limited ecological data based on observations of a captive individual, and a wild record, are provided, and a conservation assessment is performed for this extremely limited range Paraguayan endemic snake.
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Entiauspe-Neto OM, Tiutenko A, Dos Santos Azevedo W, Abegg AD. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence: on the taxonomic identity of Phalotris cerradensis Silveira, 2020. REV SUISSE ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.35929/rsz.0034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Omar Machado Entiauspe-Neto
- Laboratório de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Avenida Itália, Km 8, Vila Carreiros, 96203-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
| | - Arthur Tiutenko
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossplatz 4, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Weverton Dos Santos Azevedo
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Travessa 14, Rua do Matão, 321, Cidade Universitária, 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Arthur Diesel Abegg
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Travessa 14, Rua do Matão, 321, Cidade Universitária, 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Cacciali P, Mee G, Laing AP, Krause D, Mclaughlin C, Montgomery R, Smith P. Morphological Re-Examination of the Endemic Paraguayan Snake Phalotris nigrilatus Ferrarezzi, 1993 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Elapomorphini), with Notes on Its Ecology and Conservation Status. CURRENT HERPETOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.5358/hsj.39.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pier Cacciali
- 1Guyra Paraguay, Av. Cnel. Carlos Bóveda, Parque Ecológico Capital Verde – Viñas Cué, Asunción, PARA
| | - George Mee
- 41 Thornbury Close, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1HP, UK
| | | | - Danilo Krause
- 6KP Publicidad, España c/ Tte. Benítez (km 1,59), 2160 San Lorenzo, PARAGUAY
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Nogueira CC, Argôlo AJ, Arzamendia V, Azevedo JA, Barbo FE, Bérnils RS, Bolochio BE, Borges-Martins M, Brasil-Godinho M, Braz H, Buononato MA, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Colli GR, Costa HC, Franco FL, Giraudo A, Gonzalez RC, Guedes T, Hoogmoed MS, Marques OA, Montingelli GG, Passos P, Prudente AL, Rivas GA, Sanchez PM, Serrano FC, Silva NJ, Strüssmann C, Vieira-Alencar JPS, Zaher H, Sawaya RJ, Martins M. Atlas of Brazilian Snakes: Verified Point-Locality Maps to Mitigate the Wallacean Shortfall in a Megadiverse Snake Fauna. SOUTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.2994/sajh-d-19-00120.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano C. Nogueira
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio J.S. Argôlo
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, 45662-900, Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Vanesa Arzamendia
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Josué A. Azevedo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Fausto E. Barbo
- Laboratório Especial de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renato S. Bérnils
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, 29932-540, São Mateus, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Bruna E. Bolochio
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, 09606-070, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcio Borges-Martins
- Departamento de Zoologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 91540-000, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Marcela Brasil-Godinho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Evolução e Diversidade, Universidade Federal do ABC, 09606-070, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Henrique Braz
- Divisão de Biologia, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 17-1200-841, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Guarino R. Colli
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Henrique C. Costa
- Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Zoologia. Rua José Lourenço Kelmer, s/n, São Pedro, Juiz de Fora, 36036-900, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Francisco L. Franco
- Divisão de Biologia, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alejandro Giraudo
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Rodrigo C. Gonzalez
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thaís Guedes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marinus S. Hoogmoed
- Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, 66017-970, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Otavio A.V. Marques
- Divisão de Biologia, Instituto Butantan, 05503-900, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Paulo Passos
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana L.C. Prudente
- Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, 66017-970, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Gilson A. Rivas
- Museo de Biología, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, Universidad del Zulia, Apartado Postal 526, Maracaibo 4011, Venezuela
| | - Paola M. Sanchez
- Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, 04263-000, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Filipe C. Serrano
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nelson J. Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Saúde, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, 74605-140, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Christine Strüssmann
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, 78060-900, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - João Paulo S. Vieira-Alencar
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hussam Zaher
- Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, 04263-000, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo J. Sawaya
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, 09606-070, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcio Martins
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Atkinson K, Smith P, Dickens JK, Lee-Zuck C. Rediscovery of the ‘Lost’ Snake Phalotris multipunctatus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in Paraguay with Behavioral Notes and Reference to the Importance of Rancho Laguna Blanca for Its Conservation. CURRENT HERPETOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.5358/hsj.37.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karina Atkinson
- Fundación Para La Tierra, Mariscal Estigarribia 321 c/Teniente Capurro, Pilar, Departamento Ñeembucú, Paraguay
| | - Paul Smith
- Fundación Para La Tierra, Mariscal Estigarribia 321 c/Teniente Capurro, Pilar, Departamento Ñeembucú, Paraguay
- Fauna Paraguay, Carmen de Lara Castro 422, Barrio San Roque, Encarnación, Paraguay
| | - Jeremy K. Dickens
- Fundación Para La Tierra, Mariscal Estigarribia 321 c/Teniente Capurro, Pilar, Departamento Ñeembucú, Paraguay
| | - Catherine Lee-Zuck
- Fundación Para La Tierra, Mariscal Estigarribia 321 c/Teniente Capurro, Pilar, Departamento Ñeembucú, Paraguay
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