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Michálek O, King GF, Pekár S. Prey specificity of predatory venoms. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 38991997 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Venom represents a key adaptation of many venomous predators, allowing them to immobilise prey quickly through chemical rather than physical warfare. Evolutionary arms races between prey and a predator are believed to be the main factor influencing the potency and composition of predatory venoms. Predators with narrowly restricted diets are expected to evolve specifically potent venom towards their focal prey, with lower efficacy on alternative prey. Here, we evaluate hypotheses on the evolution of prey-specific venom, focusing on the effect of restricted diet, prey defences, and prey resistance. Prey specificity as a potential evolutionary dead end is also discussed. We then provide an overview of the current knowledge on venom prey specificity, with emphasis on snakes, cone snails, and spiders. As the current evidence for venom prey specificity is still quite limited, we also overview the best approaches and methods for its investigation and provide a brief summary of potential model groups. Finally, possible applications of prey-specific toxins are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Michálek
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Glenn F King
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Stano Pekár
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, 611 37, Czech Republic
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2
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de Oliveira L, Gower DJ, Wilkinson M, Segall M. Comparative morphology of oral glands in snakes of the family Homalopsidae reveals substantial variation and additional independent origins of salt glands within Serpentes. J Anat 2024; 244:708-721. [PMID: 38234265 PMCID: PMC11021688 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Using diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT), we examined the morphology of the oral glands of 12 species of the family Homalopsidae. Snakes of this family exhibit substantial interspecific morphological variation in their oral glands. Particular variables are the venom glands, ranging from large (e.g., Subsessor bocourti) to small (e.g., Erpeton tentaculatum). The supra- and infralabial glands are more uniform in morphology, being the second most developed in almost all the sampled species. Premaxillary glands distinct from the supralabial glands were observed in five species (Myron richardsonii, Bitia hydroides, Cantoria violacea, Fordonia leucobalia, and Gerarda prevostiana), in addition to Cerberus rynchops, the only species in which this condition was previously documented associated with the excretion of salt. In the three species of the saltwater group of homalopsids (C. violacea, F. leucobalia, and G. prevostiana), the premaxillary glands also extend posteriorly, occupying a large area above the supralabial gland, a condition not observed in any other species of snake studied thus far. Character evolution analyses indicate that premaxillary glands differentiated from the supralabial gland and evolved independently three or four times in the family, always in lineages that invaded marine habitats. Our results suggest that the differentiated premaxillary glands are likely salt glands, as is the case in C. rynchops. If corroborated, this increases to six or seven the number of independent evolutionary origins of salt glands in snakes that have undergone an evolutionary transition to marine life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
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3
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Koludarov I, Senoner T, Jackson TNW, Dashevsky D, Heinzinger M, Aird SD, Rost B. Domain loss enabled evolution of novel functions in the snake three-finger toxin gene superfamily. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4861. [PMID: 37567881 PMCID: PMC10421932 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40550-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Three-finger toxins (3FTXs) are a functionally diverse family of toxins, apparently unique to venoms of caenophidian snakes. Although the ancestral function of 3FTXs is antagonism of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, redundancy conferred by the accumulation of duplicate genes has facilitated extensive neofunctionalization, such that derived members of the family interact with a range of targets. 3FTXs are members of the LY6/UPAR family, but their non-toxin ancestor remains unknown. Combining traditional phylogenetic approaches, manual synteny analysis, and machine learning techniques (including AlphaFold2 and ProtT5), we have reconstructed a detailed evolutionary history of 3FTXs. We identify their immediate ancestor as a non-secretory LY6, unique to squamate reptiles, and propose that changes in molecular ecology resulting from loss of a membrane-anchoring domain and changes in gene expression, paved the way for the evolution of one of the most important families of snake toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Koludarov
- TUM (Technical University of Munich) Department of Informatics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology-i12, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching/Munich, Germany.
| | - Tobias Senoner
- TUM (Technical University of Munich) Department of Informatics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology-i12, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching/Munich, Germany
| | - Timothy N W Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniel Dashevsky
- Australian National Insect Collection, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Michael Heinzinger
- TUM (Technical University of Munich) Department of Informatics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology-i12, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching/Munich, Germany
| | - Steven D Aird
- 7744-23 Hotaka Ariake, 399-8301, Azumino-shi, Nagano-ken, Japan
| | - Burkhard Rost
- TUM (Technical University of Munich) Department of Informatics, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology-i12, Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748, Garching/Munich, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS), Lichtenbergstr. 2a, 85748, Garching/Munich, Germany
- TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan (WZW), Alte Akademie 8, Freising, Germany
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Khochare S, Senji Laxme RR, Jaikumar P, Kaur N, Attarde S, Martin G, Sunagar K. Fangs in the Ghats: Preclinical Insights into the Medical Importance of Pit Vipers from the Western Ghats. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119516. [PMID: 37298463 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The socioeconomic impact of snakebites in India is largely attributed to a subset of snake species commonly known as the 'big four'. However, envenoming by a range of other clinically important yet neglected snakes, a.k.a. the 'neglected many', also adds to this burden. The current approach of treating bites from these snakes with the 'big four' polyvalent antivenom is ineffective. While the medical significance of various species of cobras, saw-scaled vipers, and kraits is well-established, the clinical impact of pit vipers from regions such as the Western Ghats, northeastern India, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands remains poorly understood. Amongst the many species of snakes found in the Western Ghats, the hump-nosed (Hypnale hypnale), Malabar (Craspedocephalus malabaricus), and bamboo (Craspedocephalus gramineus) pit vipers can potentially inflict severe envenoming. To evaluate the severity of toxicity inflicted by these snakes, we characterised their venom composition, biochemical and pharmacological activities, and toxicity- and morbidity-inducing potentials, including their ability to damage kidneys. Our findings highlight the therapeutic inadequacies of the Indian and Sri Lankan polyvalent antivenoms in neutralising the local and systemic toxicity resulting from pit viper envenomings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suyog Khochare
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - R R Senji Laxme
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Priyanka Jaikumar
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Navneet Kaur
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Saurabh Attarde
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Gerard Martin
- The Liana Trust, Survey #1418/1419, Rathnapuri, Hunsur 571189, India
| | - Kartik Sunagar
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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Mathews J, Chang A(J, Devlin L, Levin M. Cellular signaling pathways as plastic, proto-cognitive systems: Implications for biomedicine. PATTERNS (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 4:100737. [PMID: 37223267 PMCID: PMC10201306 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2023.100737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Many aspects of health and disease are modeled using the abstraction of a "pathway"-a set of protein or other subcellular activities with specified functional linkages between them. This metaphor is a paradigmatic case of a deterministic, mechanistic framework that focuses biomedical intervention strategies on altering the members of this network or the up-/down-regulation links between them-rewiring the molecular hardware. However, protein pathways and transcriptional networks exhibit interesting and unexpected capabilities such as trainability (memory) and information processing in a context-sensitive manner. Specifically, they may be amenable to manipulation via their history of stimuli (equivalent to experiences in behavioral science). If true, this would enable a new class of biomedical interventions that target aspects of the dynamic physiological "software" implemented by pathways and gene-regulatory networks. Here, we briefly review clinical and laboratory data that show how high-level cognitive inputs and mechanistic pathway modulation interact to determine outcomes in vivo. Further, we propose an expanded view of pathways from the perspective of basal cognition and argue that a broader understanding of pathways and how they process contextual information across scales will catalyze progress in many areas of physiology and neurobiology. We argue that this fuller understanding of the functionality and tractability of pathways must go beyond a focus on the mechanistic details of protein and drug structure to encompass their physiological history as well as their embedding within higher levels of organization in the organism, with numerous implications for data science addressing health and disease. Exploiting tools and concepts from behavioral and cognitive sciences to explore a proto-cognitive metaphor for the pathways underlying health and disease is more than a philosophical stance on biochemical processes; at stake is a new roadmap for overcoming the limitations of today's pharmacological strategies and for inferring future therapeutic interventions for a wide range of disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juanita Mathews
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | | | - Liam Devlin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
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van Thiel J, Alonso LL, Slagboom J, Dunstan N, Wouters RM, Modahl CM, Vonk FJ, Jackson TNW, Kool J. Highly Evolvable: Investigating Interspecific and Intraspecific Venom Variation in Taipans ( Oxyuranus spp.) and Brown Snakes ( Pseudonaja spp.). Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:74. [PMID: 36668892 PMCID: PMC9864820 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15010074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Snake venoms are complex mixtures of toxins that differ on interspecific (between species) and intraspecific (within species) levels. Whether venom variation within a group of closely related species is explained by the presence, absence and/or relative abundances of venom toxins remains largely unknown. Taipans (Oxyuranus spp.) and brown snakes (Pseudonaja spp.) represent medically relevant species of snakes across the Australasian region and provide an excellent model clade for studying interspecific and intraspecific venom variation. Using liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and mass spectrometry detection, we analyzed a total of 31 venoms covering all species of this monophyletic clade, including widespread localities. Our results reveal major interspecific and intraspecific venom variation in Oxyuranus and Pseudonaja species, partially corresponding with their geographical regions and phylogenetic relationships. This extensive venom variability is generated by a combination of the absence/presence and differential abundance of venom toxins. Our study highlights that venom systems can be highly dynamical on the interspecific and intraspecific levels and underscores that the rapid toxin evolvability potentially causes major impacts on neglected tropical snakebites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jory van Thiel
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Luis L. Alonso
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), 1012 WX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Julien Slagboom
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), 1012 WX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Roel M. Wouters
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Cassandra M. Modahl
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK
| | - Freek J. Vonk
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands
- Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), 1012 WX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Timothy N. W. Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Jeroen Kool
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Centre for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), 1012 WX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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7
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Avella I, Wüster W, Luiselli L, Martínez-Freiría F. Toxic Habits: An Analysis of General Trends and Biases in Snake Venom Research. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14120884. [PMID: 36548781 PMCID: PMC9783912 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14120884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biases in snake venom research have been partially identified but seldomly quantified. Using the Google Scholar web search engine, we collected a total of 267 articles published between 1964 and 2021, and reviewed them to assess the main trends in this field of study. We developed a 4-category classification of the harmful potential of each of the 298 snake species retrieved from the analysed publications, and tested whether taxonomy, realm of origin, and/or assigned hazard category could affect how often each of them appeared in the articles considered. Overall, viperids were significantly more represented than any other snake taxon retrieved. The Neotropics were the most represented biogeographic realm for number of studied species, whereas information about the country of origin of the analysed specimens was often incomplete. The vast majority of the publications focused on snake venom characterisation, whereas more ecology-related topics were rarely considered. Hazard category and biogeographic realm of origin of each species had a significant effect on the number of articles dedicated to it, suggesting that a snake's harmful potential and place of origin influence its popularity in venom studies. Our analysis showed an overall positive trend in the number of snake venom studies published yearly, but also underlined severe neglect of snake families of supposedly minor medical relevance (e.g., Atractaspididae), underrepresentation of some of the areas most impacted by snakebite (i.e., Indomalayan and Afrotropic realms), and limited interest in the ecological and functional context of snake venom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignazio Avella
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - Wolfgang Wüster
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Bangor, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Luca Luiselli
- Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation & Cooperation, Via G. Tomasi di Lampedusa 33, I-00144 Rome, Italy
- Department of Zoology, University of Lomé, Lomé 01BP1515, Togo
- Department of Environmental and Applied Biology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt P.M.B. 5080, Nigeria
| | - Fernando Martínez-Freiría
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
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Suranse V, Jackson TNW, Sunagar K. Contextual Constraints: Dynamic Evolution of Snake Venom Phospholipase A 2. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14060420. [PMID: 35737081 PMCID: PMC9231074 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14060420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Venom is a dynamic trait that has contributed to the success of numerous organismal lineages. Predominantly composed of proteins, these complex cocktails are deployed for predation and/or self-defence. Many non-toxic physiological proteins have been convergently and recurrently recruited by venomous animals into their toxin arsenal. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is one such protein and features in the venoms of many organisms across the animal kingdom, including snakes of the families Elapidae and Viperidae. Understanding the evolutionary history of this superfamily would therefore provide insight into the origin and diversification of venom toxins and the evolution of novelty more broadly. The literature is replete with studies that have identified diversifying selection as the sole influence on PLA2 evolution. However, these studies have largely neglected the structural/functional constraints on PLA2s, and the ecology and evolutionary histories of the diverse snake lineages that produce them. By considering these crucial factors and employing evolutionary analyses integrated with a schema for the classification of PLA2s, we uncovered lineage-specific differences in selection regimes. Thus, our work provides novel insights into the evolution of this major snake venom toxin superfamily and underscores the importance of considering the influence of evolutionary and ecological contexts on molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Suranse
- Evolutionary Venomics Laboratory, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India;
| | - Timothy N. W. Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Kartik Sunagar
- Evolutionary Venomics Laboratory, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +91-080-2293-2895
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Interpopulational variation and ontogenetic shift in the venom composition of Lataste's viper (Vipera latastei, Boscá 1878) from northern Portugal. J Proteomics 2022; 263:104613. [PMID: 35589061 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Lataste's viper (Vipera latastei) is a venomous European viper endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, recognised as medically important by the World Health Organization. To date, no comprehensive characterisation of this species' venom has been reported. Here, we analysed the venoms of juvenile and adult specimens of V. latastei from two environmentally different populations from northern Portugal. Using bottom-up venomics, we produced six venom proteomes (three per population) from vipers belonging to both age classes (i.e., two juveniles and four adults), and RP-HPLC profiles of 54 venoms collected from wild specimens. Venoms from juveniles and adults differed in their chromatographic profiles and relative abundances of their toxins, suggesting the occurrence of ontogenetic changes in venom composition. Specifically, snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP) was the most abundant toxin family in juvenile venoms, while snake venom serine proteinases (SVSPs), phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), and C-type lectin-like (CTLs) proteins were the main toxins comprising adult venoms. The RP-HPLC venom profiles were found to vary significantly between the two sampled localities, indicating geographic variability. Furthermore, the presence/absence of certain peaks in the venom chromatographic profiles appeared to be significantly correlated also to factors like body size and sex of the vipers. Our findings show that V. latastei venom is a variable phenotype. The intraspecific differences we detected in its composition likely mirror changes in the feeding ecology of this species, taking place during different life stages and under different environmental pressures. SIGNIFICANCE: Lataste's viper (Vipera latastei) is a medically important viper endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, inhabiting different habitats and undergoing a marked ontogenetic dietary shift. In the current study, we report the first proteomic analysis of V. latastei venom from two environmentally different localities in northern Portugal. Our bottom-up venomic analyses show that snake venom serine proteinases (SVSPs), phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), and C-type lectin-like (CTLs) proteins are the major components of adult V. latastei venom. The comparative analysis of young and adult venoms suggests the occurrence of ontogenetic shift in toxin abundances, with snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) being the predominant toxins in juvenile venoms. Moreover, geographic venom variation between the two studied populations is also detected, with our statistical analyses suggesting that factors like body size and sex of the vipers are possibly at play in its determination. Our work represents the first assessment of the composition of V. latastei venom, and the first step towards a better understanding of the drivers behind its variability.
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Kaposi K, Courtney R, Seymour J. Implications of bleaching on cnidarian venom ecology. Toxicon X 2022; 13:100094. [PMID: 35146416 PMCID: PMC8819380 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2022.100094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cnidarian bleaching research often focuses on the effects on a cnidarian's physiological health and fitness, whilst little focus has been towards the impacts of these events on their venom ecology. Given the importance of a cnidarian's venom to their survival and the increasing threat of bleaching events, it is important to understand the effects that this threat may have on this important aspect of their ecology as it may have unforeseen impacts on their ability to catch prey and defend themselves. This review aims to explore evidence that suggests that bleaching may impact on each of the key aspects of a cnidarians' venom ecology: cnidae, venom composition, and venom toxicity. Additionally, the resulting energy deficit, compensatory heterotrophic feeding, and increased defensive measures have been highlighted as possible ecological factors driving these changes. Suggestions are also made to guide the success of research in this field into the future, specifically in regards to selecting a study organism, the importance of accurate symbiont and cnidae identification, use of appropriate bleaching methods, determination of bleaching, and animal handling. Ultimately, this review highlights a significant and important gap in our knowledge into how cnidarians are, and will, continue to be impacted by bleaching stress. Information on the effects of bleaching on cnidarian venom ecology is limited. There is evidence to suggest nematocysts, venom composition and venom toxicity may each be impacted by bleaching. Bleaching may result in depleted energy, increased heterotrophy and/or the need for stronger defensive strategies. To fully understand how cnidarians may be impacted by bleaching stress further research in this field is needed. Future studies should consider the model organism and methodologies, thereby minimising indirect confounding effects.
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11
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Tasoulis T, Pukala TL, Isbister GK. Investigating Toxin Diversity and Abundance in Snake Venom Proteomes. Front Pharmacol 2022; 12:768015. [PMID: 35095489 PMCID: PMC8795951 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.768015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding snake venom proteomes is becoming increasingly important to understand snake venom biology, evolution and especially clinical effects of venoms and approaches to antivenom development. To explore the current state of snake venom proteomics and transcriptomics we investigated venom proteomic methods, associations between methodological and biological variability and the diversity and abundance of protein families. We reviewed available studies on snake venom proteomes from September 2017 to April 2021. This included 81 studies characterising venom proteomes of 79 snake species, providing data on relative toxin abundance for 70 species and toxin diversity (number of different toxins) for 37 species. Methodologies utilised in these studies were summarised and compared. Several comparative studies showed that preliminary decomplexation of crude venom by chromatography leads to increased protein identification, as does the use of transcriptomics. Combining different methodological strategies in venomic approaches appears to maximize proteome coverage. 48% of studies used the RP-HPLC →1D SDS-PAGE →in-gel trypsin digestion → ESI -LC-MS/MS pathway. Protein quantification by MS1-based spectral intensity was used twice as commonly as MS2-based spectral counting (33–15 studies). Total toxin diversity was 25–225 toxins/species, with a median of 48. The relative mean abundance of the four dominant protein families was for elapids; 3FTx–52%, PLA2–27%, SVMP–2.8%, and SVSP–0.1%, and for vipers: 3FTx–0.5%, PLA2–24%, SVMP–27%, and SVSP–12%. Viper venoms were compositionally more complex than elapid venoms in terms of number of protein families making up most of the venom, in contrast, elapid venoms were made up of fewer, but more toxin diverse, protein families. No relationship was observed between relative toxin diversity and abundance. For equivalent comparisons to be made between studies, there is a need to clarify the differences between methodological approaches and for acceptance of a standardised protein classification, nomenclature and reporting procedure. Correctly measuring and comparing toxin diversity and abundance is essential for understanding biological, clinical and evolutionary implications of snake venom composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo Tasoulis
- Clinical Toxicology Research Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Tara L Pukala
- Department of Chemistry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Geoffrey K Isbister
- Clinical Toxicology Research Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
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Dynamic genetic differentiation drives the widespread structural and functional convergent evolution of snake venom proteinaceous toxins. BMC Biol 2022; 20:4. [PMID: 34996434 PMCID: PMC8742412 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01208-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The explosive radiation and diversification of the advanced snakes (superfamily Colubroidea) was associated with changes in all aspects of the shared venom system. Morphological changes included the partitioning of the mixed ancestral glands into two discrete glands devoted for production of venom or mucous respectively, as well as changes in the location, size and structural elements of the venom-delivering teeth. Evidence also exists for homology among venom gland toxins expressed across the advanced snakes. However, despite the evolutionary novelty of snake venoms, in-depth toxin molecular evolutionary history reconstructions have been mostly limited to those types present in only two front-fanged snake families, Elapidae and Viperidae. To have a broader understanding of toxins shared among extant snakes, here we first sequenced the transcriptomes of eight taxonomically diverse rear-fanged species and four key viperid species and analysed major toxin types shared across the advanced snakes. Results Transcriptomes were constructed for the following families and species: Colubridae - Helicops leopardinus, Heterodon nasicus, Rhabdophis subminiatus; Homalopsidae – Homalopsis buccata; Lamprophiidae - Malpolon monspessulanus, Psammophis schokari, Psammophis subtaeniatus, Rhamphiophis oxyrhynchus; and Viperidae – Bitis atropos, Pseudocerastes urarachnoides, Tropidolaeumus subannulatus, Vipera transcaucasiana. These sequences were combined with those from available databases of other species in order to facilitate a robust reconstruction of the molecular evolutionary history of the key toxin classes present in the venom of the last common ancestor of the advanced snakes, and thus present across the full diversity of colubroid snake venoms. In addition to differential rates of evolution in toxin classes between the snake lineages, these analyses revealed multiple instances of previously unknown instances of structural and functional convergences. Structural convergences included: the evolution of new cysteines to form heteromeric complexes, such as within kunitz peptides (the beta-bungarotoxin trait evolving on at least two occasions) and within SVMP enzymes (the P-IIId trait evolving on at least three occasions); and the C-terminal tail evolving on two separate occasions within the C-type natriuretic peptides, to create structural and functional analogues of the ANP/BNP tailed condition. Also shown was that the de novo evolution of new post-translationally liberated toxin families within the natriuretic peptide gene propeptide region occurred on at least five occasions, with novel functions ranging from induction of hypotension to post-synaptic neurotoxicity. Functional convergences included the following: multiple occasions of SVMP neofunctionalised in procoagulant venoms into activators of the clotting factors prothrombin and Factor X; multiple instances in procoagulant venoms where kunitz peptides were neofunctionalised into inhibitors of the clot destroying enzyme plasmin, thereby prolonging the half-life of the clots formed by the clotting activating enzymatic toxins; and multiple occasions of kunitz peptides neofunctionalised into neurotoxins acting on presynaptic targets, including twice just within Bungarus venoms. Conclusions We found novel convergences in both structural and functional evolution of snake toxins. These results provide a detailed roadmap for future work to elucidate predator–prey evolutionary arms races, ascertain differential clinical pathologies, as well as documenting rich biodiscovery resources for lead compounds in the drug design and discovery pipeline. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01208-9.
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Schramer TD, Rautsaw RM, Bayona-Serrano JD, Nystrom GS, West TR, Ortiz-Medina JA, Sabido-Alpuche B, Meneses-Millán M, Borja M, Junqueira-de-Azevedo ILM, Rokyta DR, Parkinson CL. An integrative view of the toxic potential of Conophis lineatus (Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae), a medically relevant rear-fanged snake. Toxicon 2021; 205:38-52. [PMID: 34793822 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Most traditional research on snake venoms has focused on front-fanged snake families (Viperidae, Elapidae, and Atractaspididae). However, venom is now generally accepted as being a much more broadly possessed trait within snakes, including species traditionally considered harmless. Unfortunately, due to historical inertia and methodological challenges, the toxin repertoires of non-front-fanged snake families (e.g., Colubridae, Dipsadidae, and Natricidae) have been heavily neglected despite the knowledge of numerous species capable of inflicting medically relevant envenomations. Integrating proteomic data for validation, we perform a de novo assembly and analysis of the Duvernoy's venom gland transcriptome of the Central American Road Guarder (Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae: Conophis lineatus), a species known for its potent bite. We identified 28 putative toxin transcripts from 13 toxin families in the Duvernoy's venom gland transcriptome, comprising 63.7% of total transcriptome expression. In addition to ubiquitous snake toxin families, we proteomically confirmed several atypical venom components. The most highly expressed toxins (55.6% of total toxin expression) were recently described snake venom matrix metalloproteases (svMMPs), with 48.0% of svMMP expression contributable to a novel svMMP isoform. We investigate the evolution of the new svMMP isoform in the context of rear-fanged snakes using phylogenetics. Finally, we examine the morphology of the venom apparatus using μCT and explore how the venom relates to autecology and the highly hemorrhagic effects seen in human envenomations. Importantly, we provide the most complete venom characterization of this medically relevant snake species to date, producing insights into the effects and evolution of its venom, and point to future research directions to better understand the venoms of 'harmless' non-front-fanged snakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan D Schramer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
| | - Rhett M Rautsaw
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | | | - Gunnar S Nystrom
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Taylor R West
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Javier A Ortiz-Medina
- Departamento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico; Unidad de Manejo para La Conservación de La Vida Silvestre, Tsáab Kaan, Baca, Yucatán, Mexico; HERP.MX A.C., Villa de Álvarez, Colima, Mexico
| | - Bianca Sabido-Alpuche
- Unidad de Manejo para La Conservación de La Vida Silvestre, Tsáab Kaan, Baca, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Marcos Meneses-Millán
- Unidad de Manejo para La Conservación de La Vida Silvestre, Tsáab Kaan, Baca, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Miguel Borja
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Del Estado de Durango, Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
| | - Inácio L M Junqueira-de-Azevedo
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Aplicada, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil; Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Darin R Rokyta
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Christopher L Parkinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA; Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
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14
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Calvete JJ, Pla D, Els J, Carranza S, Damm M, Hempel BF, John EBO, Petras D, Heiss P, Nalbantsoy A, Göçmen B, Süssmuth RD, Calderón-Celis F, Nosti AJ, Encinar JR. Combined Molecular and Elemental Mass Spectrometry Approaches for Absolute Quantification of Proteomes: Application to the Venomics Characterization of the Two Species of Desert Black Cobras, Walterinnesia aegyptia and Walterinnesia morgani. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:5064-5078. [PMID: 34606723 PMCID: PMC8576837 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
![]()
We report a novel hybrid, molecular
and elemental mass spectrometry
(MS) setup for the absolute quantification of snake venom proteomes
shown here for two desert black cobra species within the genus Walterinnesia, Walterinnesia aegyptia and Walterinnesia morgani. The experimental
design includes the decomplexation of the venom samples by reverse-phase
chromatography independently coupled to four mass spectrometry systems:
the combined bottom-up and top-down molecular MS for protein identification
and a parallel reverse-phase microbore high-performance liquid chromatograph
(RP-μHPLC) on-line to inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS/MS)
elemental mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization quadrupole
time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-QToF MS). This allows to continuously
record the absolute sulfur concentration throughout the chromatogram
and assign it to the parent venom proteins separated in the RP-μHPLC-ESI-QToF
parallel run via mass profiling. The results provide a locus-resolved
and quantitative insight into the three desert black cobra venom proteome
samples. They also validate the units of measure of our snake venomics
strategy for the relative quantification of snake venom proteomes
as % of total venom peptide bonds as a proxy for the % by weight of
the venom toxins/toxin families. In a more general context, our work
may pave the way for broader applications of hybrid elemental/molecular
MS setups in diverse areas of proteomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Calvete
- Laboratorio de Venómica Evolutiva y Traslational, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaume Roig 11, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Davinia Pla
- Laboratorio de Venómica Evolutiva y Traslational, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaume Roig 11, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Johannes Els
- Environment and Protected Areas Authority, 82828 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Salvador Carranza
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maik Damm
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany.,BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies BCRT, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisa B O John
- Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Daniel Petras
- CMFI Cluster of Excellence, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Medicine, University of Túbingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Paul Heiss
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ayse Nalbantsoy
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Bayram Göçmen
- Zoology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Roderich D Süssmuth
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Alicia Jiménez Nosti
- Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jorge Ruiz Encinar
- Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
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15
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Calvete JJ, Lomonte B, Saviola AJ, Bonilla F, Sasa M, Williams DJ, Undheim EA, Sunagar K, Jackson TN. Mutual enlightenment: A toolbox of concepts and methods for integrating evolutionary and clinical toxinology via snake venomics and the contextual stance. Toxicon X 2021; 9-10:100070. [PMID: 34195606 PMCID: PMC8234350 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2021.100070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that may claim over 100,000 human lives annually worldwide. Snakebite occurs as the result of an interaction between a human and a snake that elicits either a defensive response from the snake or, more rarely, a feeding response as the result of mistaken identity. Snakebite envenoming is therefore a biological and, more specifically, an ecological problem. Snake venom itself is often described as a "cocktail", as it is a heterogenous mixture of molecules including the toxins (which are typically proteinaceous) responsible for the pathophysiological consequences of envenoming. The primary function of venom in snake ecology is pre-subjugation, with defensive deployment of the secretion typically considered a secondary function. The particular composition of any given venom cocktail is shaped by evolutionary forces that include phylogenetic constraints associated with the snake's lineage and adaptive responses to the snake's ecological context, including the taxa it preys upon and by which it is predated upon. In the present article, we describe how conceptual frameworks from ecology and evolutionary biology can enter into a mutually enlightening relationship with clinical toxinology by enabling the consideration of snakebite envenoming from an "ecological stance". We detail the insights that may emerge from such a perspective and highlight the ways in which the high-fidelity descriptive knowledge emerging from applications of -omics era technologies - "venomics" and "antivenomics" - can combine with evolutionary explanations to deliver a detailed understanding of this multifactorial health crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J. Calvete
- Evolutionary and Translational Venomics Laboratory, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Unidad de Proteómica, Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Anthony J. Saviola
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Fabián Bonilla
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Animales Peligrosos (LIAP), Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Mahmood Sasa
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Animales Peligrosos (LIAP), Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- Museo de Zoología, Centro de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
| | | | - Eivind A.B. Undheim
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kartik Sunagar
- Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Timothy N.W. Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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16
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Damm M, Hempel BF, Süssmuth RD. Old World Vipers-A Review about Snake Venom Proteomics of Viperinae and Their Variations. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13060427. [PMID: 34204565 PMCID: PMC8235416 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13060427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fine-tuned by millions of years of evolution, snake venoms have frightened but also fascinated humanity and nowadays they constitute potential resources for drug development, therapeutics and antivenoms. The continuous progress of mass spectrometry techniques and latest advances in proteomics workflows enabled toxinologists to decipher venoms by modern omics technologies, so-called ‘venomics’. A tremendous upsurge reporting on snake venom proteomes could be observed. Within this review we focus on the highly venomous and widely distributed subfamily of Viperinae (Serpentes: Viperidae). A detailed public literature database search was performed (2003–2020) and we extensively reviewed all compositional venom studies of the so-called Old-World Vipers. In total, 54 studies resulted in 89 venom proteomes. The Viperinae venoms are dominated by four major, four secondary, six minor and several rare toxin families and peptides, respectively. The multitude of different venomics approaches complicates the comparison of venom composition datasets and therefore we differentiated between non-quantitative and three groups of quantitative workflows. The resulting direct comparisons within these groups show remarkable differences on the intra- and interspecies level across genera with a focus on regional differences. In summary, the present compilation is the first comprehensive up-to-date database on Viperinae venom proteomes and differentiating between analytical methods and workflows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maik Damm
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Benjamin-Florian Hempel
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, (BCRT), 10117 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Roderich D. Süssmuth
- Department of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-(0)30-314-24205
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17
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Hofmann EP, Rautsaw RM, Mason AJ, Strickland JL, Parkinson CL. Duvernoy's Gland Transcriptomics of the Plains Black-Headed Snake, Tantilla nigriceps (Squamata, Colubridae): Unearthing the Venom of Small Rear-Fanged Snakes. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13050336. [PMID: 34066626 PMCID: PMC8148590 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13050336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The venoms of small rear-fanged snakes (RFS) remain largely unexplored, despite increased recognition of their importance in understanding venom evolution more broadly. Sequencing the transcriptome of venom-producing glands has greatly increased the ability of researchers to examine and characterize the toxin repertoire of small taxa with low venom yields. Here, we use RNA-seq to characterize the Duvernoy’s gland transcriptome of the Plains Black-headed Snake, Tantilla nigriceps, a small, semi-fossorial colubrid that feeds on a variety of potentially dangerous arthropods including centipedes and spiders. We generated transcriptomes of six individuals from three localities in order to both characterize the toxin expression of this species for the first time, and to look for initial evidence of venom variation in the species. Three toxin families—three-finger neurotoxins (3FTxs), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), and snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPIIIs)—dominated the transcriptome of T. nigriceps; 3FTx themselves were the dominant toxin family in most individuals, accounting for as much as 86.4% of an individual’s toxin expression. Variation in toxin expression between individuals was also noted, with two specimens exhibiting higher relative expression of c-type lectins than any other sample (8.7–11.9% compared to <1%), and another expressed CRISPs higher than any other toxin. This study provides the first Duvernoy’s gland transcriptomes of any species of Tantilla, and one of the few transcriptomic studies of RFS not predicated on a single individual. This initial characterization demonstrates the need for further study of toxin expression variation in this species, as well as the need for further exploration of small RFS venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erich P. Hofmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (E.P.H.); (R.M.R.); (A.J.M.); (J.L.S.)
| | - Rhett M. Rautsaw
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (E.P.H.); (R.M.R.); (A.J.M.); (J.L.S.)
| | - Andrew J. Mason
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (E.P.H.); (R.M.R.); (A.J.M.); (J.L.S.)
| | - Jason L. Strickland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (E.P.H.); (R.M.R.); (A.J.M.); (J.L.S.)
| | - Christopher L. Parkinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA; (E.P.H.); (R.M.R.); (A.J.M.); (J.L.S.)
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Correspondence:
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18
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What's in a mass? Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:1027-1037. [PMID: 33929513 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
This short essay pretends to make the reader reflect on the concept of biological mass and on the added value that the determination of this molecular property of a protein brings to the interpretation of evolutionary and translational snake venomics research. Starting from the premise that the amino acid sequence is the most distinctive primary molecular characteristics of any protein, the thesis underlying the first part of this essay is that the isotopic distribution of a protein's molecular mass serves to unambiguously differentiate it from any other of an organism's proteome. In the second part of the essay, we discuss examples of collaborative projects among our laboratories, where mass profiling of snake venom PLA2 across conspecific populations played a key role revealing dispersal routes that determined the current phylogeographic pattern of the species.
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19
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Andrade-Silva D, Nishiyama MY, Stuginski DR, Zelanis A, Serrano SMT. The distinct N-terminomes of Bothrops jararaca newborn and adult venoms. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2021; 1869:140643. [PMID: 33722654 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2021.140643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Using approaches of transcriptomics and proteomics we have shown that the phenotype of Bothrops jararaca venom undergoes a significant rearrangement upon neonate to adult transition. Most regulatory processes in biology are intrinsically related to modifications of protein structure, function, and abundance. However, it is unclear to which extent intrinsic proteolysis affects toxins and snake venom phenotypes upon ontogenesis. Here we assessed the natural N-terminome of Bothrops jararaca newborn and adult venoms and explored the degree of N-terminal protein truncation in ontogenetic-based proteome variation. To this end we applied the Terminal Amine Isotopic Labeling of Substrates (TAILS) technology to characterize venom collected in the presence of proteinase inhibitors. We identified natural N-terminal sequences in the newborn (71) and adult (84) venoms, from which only 37 were common to both. However, truncated toxins were found in higher number in the newborn (212) than in the adult (140) venom. Moreover, sequences N-terminally blocked by pyroglutamic acid were identified in the newborn (55) and adult (49) venoms. Most toxin classes identified by their natural N-terminal sequences showed a similar number of unique peptides in the newborn and adult venoms, however, those of serine proteinases and C-type lectins were more abundant in the adult venom. Truncated sequences from at least ten toxin classes were detected, however the catalytic and cysteine-rich domains of metalloproteinases were the most prone to proteolysis, mainly in the newborn venom. Our results underscore the pervasiveness of truncations in most toxin classes and highlight variable post-translational events in newborn and adult venoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Débora Andrade-Silva
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Milton Y Nishiyama
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - André Zelanis
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Department of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, (ICT-UNIFESP), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Solange M T Serrano
- Laboratório de Toxinologia Aplicada, Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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20
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Ineich I, Girard F, Ping T, Reynes J, Weinstein SA. Two case reports of local envenoming by the Spotted grass snake, Psammophylax rhombeatus (Linnæus, 1758) (Serpentes, Psammophiidae). Toxicon 2021; 195:24-28. [PMID: 33705734 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Two cases of bites by a South African psammophiid snake, Psammophylax rhombeatus, are described and analyzed. These are the first detailed reports of local envenoming by a Psammophylax spp. While handling a wild-collected 1 m P. rhombeatus, the snake inflicted a protracted bite proximal to the metacarpophalangeal joint of digit #5, left hand of a 24-year-old male amateur herpetologist. Local edema persisted for three days, but no pain or other signs or symptoms including non-specific autonomic effects (e.g. headache, nausea) occurred. In a second case, a 28-year-old male herpetologist-photographer was repositioning a 0.58 m female P. rhombeatus in order to photograph the snake and her egg clutch, when the snake bit the metacarpophalangeal joint of digit #5, left hand, and briefly advanced its jaws. The bite caused mild local pain, progressive edema of the left hand, and arthralgia; resolution required almost 1 week. Bites from non-front-fanged snakes such as these by P. rhombeatus are uncommonly reported in comparison with those described for front-fanged snakes (e.g. Viperidae, Elapidae). Therefore, documentation of bites even with minimal effects provides information essential for the construction of an accurate medical risk profile for these less-known species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Ineich
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles - CP 30, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France.
| | | | - Tyrone Ping
- 7 Oak Tree Avenue, Glen Anil, KwaZulu-Natal, 4051, South Africa
| | - Jordy Reynes
- 31 Rue des Mouleyres, 11120, Bize Minervois, France
| | - Scott A Weinstein
- Department of Toxinology, Women's and Children's Hospital, 72 King William St., North Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
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21
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Badari JC, Díaz-Roa A, Teixeira Rocha MM, Mendonça RZ, da Silva Junior PI. Patagonin-CRISP: Antimicrobial Activity and Source of Antimicrobial Molecules in Duvernoy's Gland Secretion ( Philodryas patagoniensis Snake). Front Pharmacol 2021; 11:586705. [PMID: 33603660 PMCID: PMC7884886 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.586705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Snake venom contains a variety of toxins with a range of biological activity, among these toxins cysteine-rich secreted proteins (CRISPs) can be found. The proteins of this family have masses of 20-30 kDa and display homologous amino acid sequences containing 16 cysteine residues, forming eight disulfide bonds. Some of these proteins have been explored, characterized, and described in terms of their activity; however, little is known about their range of activities. A search for new antimicrobial molecules is ongoing, as the number of microbial strains resistant to available antibiotics is increasing. We identified antimicrobial activity in the secretion of Duvernoy's gland of the rear-fanged Philodryas patagoniensis. Fractions of this venom were subjected to reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography and analyzed to determine their antimicrobial activity with a liquid broth inhibition assay. One of the fractions presented activity against a Gram-negative bacterium and a filamentous fungus. This fraction was analyzed with LC-MS/MS, and a protein of 24,848.8 Da was identified. Database searches allowed us to identify it as a CRISP due to the presence of some unique fragments in the molecule. We called it patagonin-CRISP, as the same protein in the venom of P. patagoniensis had previously been characterized as having a different biological activity. Patagonin-CRISP presented activity at very low concentrations and showed no cytotoxic activity. This is the first time that antimicrobial activity has been identified for P. patagoniensis venom or for a CRISP family protein.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Díaz-Roa
- Laboratory for Applied Toxinology (LETA) - Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling - CeTICS/CEPID Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil.,Escuela de Ciencias Agrícolas, Pecuarias y del Medio Ambiente (ECAPMA), Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD), Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | | | - Pedro Ismael da Silva Junior
- Laboratory for Applied Toxinology (LETA) - Center of Toxins, Immune-Response and Cell Signaling - CeTICS/CEPID Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
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22
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Parkin T, Jolly CJ, Laive A, Takach B. Snakes on an urban plain: Temporal patterns of snake activity and human–snake conflict in Darwin, Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Parkin
- Darwin Snake Catchers Darwin Northern Territory0800Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute Sydney New South WalesAustralia
| | - Chris J. Jolly
- Darwin Snake Catchers Darwin Northern Territory0800Australia
- School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville VictoriaAustralia
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
| | - Alana Laive
- Darwin Snake Catchers Darwin Northern Territory0800Australia
| | - Brenton Takach
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
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23
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Jackson TNW, Koludarov I. How the Toxin got its Toxicity. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:574925. [PMID: 33381030 PMCID: PMC7767849 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.574925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Venom systems are functional and ecological traits, typically used by one organism to subdue or deter another. A predominant subset of their constituent molecules—“toxins”—share this ecological function and are therefore molecules that mediate interactions between organisms. Such molecules have been referred to as “exochemicals.” There has been debate within the field of toxinology concerning the evolutionary pathways leading to the “recruitment” of a gene product for a toxic role within venom. We review these discussions and the evidence interpreted in support of alternate pathways, along with many of the most popular models describing the origin of novel molecular functions in general. We note that such functions may arise with or without gene duplication occurring and are often the consequence of a gene product encountering a novel “environment,” i.e., a range of novel partners for molecular interaction. After stressing the distinction between “activity” and “function,” we describe in detail the results of a recent study which reconstructed the evolutionary history of a multigene family that has been recruited as a toxin and argue that these results indicate that a pluralistic approach to understanding the origin of novel functions is advantageous. This leads us to recommend that an expansive approach be taken to the definition of “neofunctionalization”—simply the origins of a novel molecular function by any process—and “recruitment”—the “weaponization” of a molecule via the acquisition of a toxic function in venom, by any process. Recruitment does not occur at the molecular level or even at the level of gene expression, but only when a confluence of factors results in the ecological deployment of a physiologically active molecule as a toxin. Subsequent to recruitment, the evolutionary regime of a gene family may shift into a more dynamic form of “birth-and-death.” Thus, recruitment leads to a form of “downwards causation,” in which a change at the ecological level at which whole organisms interact leads to a change in patterns of evolution at the genomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy N W Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ivan Koludarov
- Animal Venomics Group, Justus Leibig University, Giessen, Germany
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24
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Hamanaka K, Mori A. Toxicity of venom from the mamushi, Gloydius blomhoffii, (Squamata, Crotalinae) to centipedes. Toxicon 2020; 188:11-15. [PMID: 33039367 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Vipers include approximately 300 species and usually feed on vertebrates, but over 30 species of them occasionally eat centipedes. Centipedes have been also known to occur in stomach contents of a Japanese pit viper, mamushi, Gloydius blomhoffii. Toxicity of the venom of mamushi to small mammals has been well studied, but there is no information concerning its toxicity to arthropods. Here, we studied the toxicity of the raw venom to the red-headed centipede, Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, by comparing with the toxicity to two other common prey animals, a house mouse, Mus musclus, and a pond frog, Pelophylax nigromaculatus. The lethal doses for mice weighing around 21.5 g and frogs weighing around 3.78 g were less than 5 μl (equivalent to ca. 0.23 and 1.32 μl/g, respectively), which presumably corresponds to an approximate dose of mamushi's one envenomation. On the other hand, centipedes weighing around 1.86 g needed 10-36 μl of venom to die (16.0 μl/g on average). This result suggests that the centipedes are much more resistant to the venom than other prey animals, and it is difficult for mamushi to kill or incapacitate centipedes by the venom of a single envenomation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyosuke Hamanaka
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
| | - Akira Mori
- Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
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25
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Mora-Obando D, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Pla D, Lomonte B, Guerrero-Vargas JA, Ayerbe S, Gibbs HL, Calvete JJ. Venom variation in Bothrops asper lineages from North-Western South America. J Proteomics 2020; 229:103945. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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26
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Ontogenetic changes in the venom of Metlapilcoatlus nummifer, the mexican jumping viper. Toxicon 2020; 184:204-214. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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27
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Berg P, Berg J, Berg R. Predator–prey interaction between a boomslang,
Dispholidus typus,
and a flap‐necked chameleon,
Chamaeleo dilepis. Afr J Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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28
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Calvete JJ, Bonilla F, Granados-Martínez S, Sanz L, Lomonte B, Sasa M. Venomics of the Duvernoy's gland secretion of the false coral snake Rhinobothryum bovallii (Andersson, 1916) and assessment of venom lethality towards synapsid and diapsid animal models. J Proteomics 2020; 225:103882. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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29
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Casewell NR, Jackson TNW, Laustsen AH, Sunagar K. Causes and Consequences of Snake Venom Variation. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2020; 41:570-581. [PMID: 32564899 PMCID: PMC7116101 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2020.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Snake venoms are mixtures of toxins that vary extensively between and within snake species. This variability has serious consequences for the management of the world’s 1.8 million annual snakebite victims. Advances in ‘omic’ technologies have empowered toxinologists to comprehensively characterize snake venom compositions, unravel the molecular mechanisms that underpin venom variation, and elucidate the ensuing functional consequences. In this review, we describe how such mechanistic processes have resulted in suites of toxin isoforms that cause diverse pathologies in human snakebite victims and we detail how variation in venom composition can result in treatment failure. Finally, we outline current therapeutic approaches designed to circumvent venom variation and deliver next-generation treatments for the world’s most lethal neglected tropical disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas R Casewell
- Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK.
| | - Timothy N W Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andreas H Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kartik Sunagar
- Evolutionary Venomics Laboratory, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India
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30
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Lomonte B, Díaz C, Chaves F, Fernández J, Ruiz M, Salas M, Zavaleta A, Calvete JJ, Sasa M. Comparative characterization of Viperidae snake venoms from Perú reveals two compositional patterns of phospholipase A 2 expression. Toxicon X 2020; 7:100044. [PMID: 32550596 PMCID: PMC7285926 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2020.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Snake species within the Bothrops complex (sensu lato) are of medical relevance in Latin America, but knowledge on their venom characteristics is limited, or even unavailable, for some taxa. Perú harbors 17 species of pit vipers, within the genera Bothrops, Bothriechis, Bothrocophias, Porthidium, Crotalus, and Lachesis. This study compared the venoms of twelve species, through chromatographic and electrophoretic profiles, as well as proteolytic and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities. Also, proteomic profiles were analyzed for nine of the venoms using a shotgun approach. Results unveiled conspicuous differences in the expression of venom PLA2s among species, six of them presenting scarce levels as judged by RP-HPLC profiles. Since most species within the bothropoid lineage possess venoms with high to intermediate abundances of this protein family, our findings suggest the existence of a phenotypic duality in the expression of venom PLA2s within the Bothrops (sensu lato) complex. Bothrops barnetti and Bothrocophias andianus venoms, very scarce in PLA2s, were shown to lack significant myotoxic activity, highlighting that the observed variability in PLA2 expression bears toxicological correlations with effects attributed to these proteins. Finally, an attempt to identify phylogenetic relationships of bothropoid species from Perú presenting low- or high-PLA2 venom phenotypes showed an interspersed pattern, thus precluding a simple phylogenetic interpretation of this venom compositional dichotomy. Venoms from 12 viperids of Perú were compared. Conspicuous differences in the expression of PLA2 were found. Venoms presenting scarce levels of PLA2 lack myotoxicity. A new phenotypic dichotomy in venom PLA2 expression is described within Bothrops (sensu lato).
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Cecilia Díaz
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Fernando Chaves
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Julián Fernández
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Marco Ruiz
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - María Salas
- Departamento Académico de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Alfonso Zavaleta
- Departamento Académico de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Juan J Calvete
- Laboratorio de Venómica Evolutiva y Traslacional, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Mahmood Sasa
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.,Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
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31
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Barua A, Mikheyev AS. Toxin expression in snake venom evolves rapidly with constant shifts in evolutionary rates. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200613. [PMID: 32345154 PMCID: PMC7282918 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Key innovations provide ecological opportunity by enabling access to new resources, colonization of new environments, and are associated with adaptive radiation. The most well-known pattern associated with adaptive radiation is an early burst of phenotypic diversification. Venoms facilitate prey capture and are widely believed to be key innovations leading to adaptive radiation. However, few studies have estimated their evolutionary rate dynamics. Here, we test for patterns of adaptive evolution in venom gene expression data from 52 venomous snake species. By identifying shifts in tempo and mode of evolution along with models of phenotypic evolution, we show that snake venom exhibits the macroevolutionary dynamics expected of key innovations. Namely, all toxin families undergo shifts in their rates of evolution, likely in response to changes in adaptive optima. Furthermore, we show that rapid-pulsed evolution modelled as a Lévy process better fits snake venom evolution than conventional early burst or Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models. While our results support the idea of snake venom being a key innovation, the innovation of venom chemistry lacks clear mechanisms that would lead to reproductive isolation and thus adaptive radiation. Therefore, the extent to which venom directly influences the diversification process is still a matter of contention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agneesh Barua
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan
| | - Alexander S. Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan
- Evolutionary genomics group, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
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32
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Hashmi SU, Alvi A, Munir I, Perveen M, Fazal A, Jackson TNW, Ali SA. Functional venomics of the Big-4 snakes of Pakistan. Toxicon 2020; 179:60-71. [PMID: 32173354 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In South Asia, the "Big-4" venomous snakes Naja naja, Bungarus caeruleus, Daboia russelii, and Echis carinatus are so-called because they are the most medically important snakes in the region. Antivenom is the only effective treatment option for snakebite envenoming but antivenom is not produced domestically in Pakistan making the country reliant on polyvalent products imported from India and Saudi Arabia. The present study investigated the toxin composition and activity of the venoms of Pakistani specimens by means of proteomic and physio/pharmacological experiments. To evaluate the composition of venoms, 1D/2D-PAGE of crude venoms and RP-HPLC followed by SDS-PAGE were performed. Enzymatic, hemolytic, coagulant and platelet aggregating activities of crude venoms were assayed and were concordant with expectations based on the abundance of protein species in each. Neutralization assays were performed using Bharat polyvalent antivenom (BPAV), a product raised against venoms from Big-4 specimens from southern India. BPAV exhibited cross-reactivity against the Pakistani venoms, however, neutralization of clinically relevant activities was variable and rarely complete. Cumulatively, the presented data not only highlight geographical variations present in the venoms of the Big-4 snakes of South Asia, but also demonstrate the neutralization potential of Indian polyvalent against the venom of Pakistani specimens. Given the partial neutralization observed, it is clear that whilst BPAV is a life-saving product in Pakistan, in future it is hoped that a region-specific product might be manufactured domestically, using venoms of local snakes in the immunising mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syeda U Hashmi
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Areej Alvi
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Iqra Munir
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Mehvish Perveen
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Amaila Fazal
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Timothy N W Jackson
- Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Syed A Ali
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
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33
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From molecules to macroevolution: Venom as a model system for evolutionary biology across levels of life. Toxicon X 2020; 6:100034. [PMID: 32550589 PMCID: PMC7285901 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2020.100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological systems are inherently hierarchical. Consequently, any field which aims to understand an aspect of biology holistically requires investigations at each level of the hierarchy of life, and venom research is no exception. This article aims to illustrate the structure of the field in light of a ‘levels of life’ perspective. In doing so, I highlight how traditional fields and approaches fit into this structure as focussing on describing levels or investigating links between levels, and emphasise where implicit assumptions are made due to lack of direct information. Taking a ‘levels of life’ perspective to venom research enables us to understand the complementarity of different research programmes and identify avenues for future research. Moreover, it provides a broader view that, in itself, shows how new questions can be addressed. For instance, understanding how adaptations develop and function from molecular to organismal scales, and what the consequences are of those adaptations at scales from molecular to macroevolutionary, is a general question relevant to a great deal of biology. As a trait which is molecular in nature and has clearer and more direct links between genotype and phenotype than many other traits, venom provides a relatively simple system to address such questions. Furthermore, because venom is also diverse at each level of life, the complexity within the hierarchical structure provides variation that enables powerful analytical approaches to answering questions. As a result, venom provides an excellent model system for understanding big questions in evolutionary biology. Venom is a molecular trait used directly in fitness-relevant ecological interaction. Venom is consequently an ideal model system for evolutionary biology. A ‘levels of life’ perspective is well suited to research in venom biology. This structure of the field provides many advantages to guide future studies. Clinical implications can arise from studies of venom at all levels of life.
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34
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Lyons K, Dugon MM, Healy K. Diet Breadth Mediates the Prey Specificity of Venom Potency in Snakes. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12020074. [PMID: 31979380 PMCID: PMC7076792 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12020074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Venoms are best known for their ability to incapacitate prey. In predatory groups, venom potency is predicted to reflect ecological and evolutionary drivers relating to diet. While venoms have been found to have preyspecific potencies, the role of diet breadth on venom potencies has yet to be tested at large macroecological scales. Here, using a comparative analysis of 100 snake species, we show that the evolution of prey-specific venom potencies is contingent on the breadth of a species' diet. We find that while snake venom is more potent when tested on species closely related to natural prey items, we only find this prey-specific pattern in species with taxonomically narrow diets. While we find that the taxonomic diversity of a snakes' diet mediates the prey specificity of its venom, the species richness of its diet was not found to affect these prey-specific potency patterns. This indicates that the physiological diversity of a species' diet is an important driver of the evolution of generalist venom potencies. These findings suggest that the venoms of species with taxonomically diverse diets may be better suited to incapacitating novel prey species and hence play an important role for species within changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith Lyons
- Correspondence: (K.L.); (K.H.); Tel.: +353-91-493744 (K.H.)
| | | | - Kevin Healy
- Correspondence: (K.L.); (K.H.); Tel.: +353-91-493744 (K.H.)
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35
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Coevolution of Snake Venom Toxic Activities and Diet: Evidence that Ecological Generalism Favours Toxicological Diversity. Toxins (Basel) 2019; 11:toxins11120711. [PMID: 31817769 PMCID: PMC6950196 DOI: 10.3390/toxins11120711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Snake venom evolution is typically considered to be predominantly driven by diet-related selection pressures. Most evidence for this is based on lethality to prey and non-prey species and on the identification of prey specific toxins. Since the broad toxicological activities (e.g., neurotoxicity, coagulotoxicity, etc.) sit at the interface between molecular toxinology and lethality, these classes of activity may act as a key mediator in coevolutionary interactions between snakes and their prey. Indeed, some recent work has suggested that variation in these functional activities may be related to diet as well, but previous studies have been limited in geographic and/or taxonomic scope. In this paper, we take a phylogenetic comparative approach to investigate relationships between diet and toxicological activity classes on a global scale across caenophidian snakes, using the clinically oriented database at toxinology.com. We generally find little support for specific prey types selecting for particular toxicological effects except that reptile-feeders are more likely to be neurotoxic. We find some support for endothermic prey (with higher metabolic rates) influencing toxic activities, but differently from previous suggestions in the literature. More broadly, we find strong support for a general effect of increased diversity of prey on the diversity of toxicological effects of snake venom. Hence, we provide evidence that selection pressures on the toxicological activities of snake venom has largely been driven by prey diversity rather than specific types of prey. These results complement and extend previous work to suggest that specific matching of venom characteristics to prey may occur at the molecular level and translate into venom lethality, but the functional link between those two is not constrained to a particular toxicological route.
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