Citation

Debono J, Cochran C, Kuruppu S, Nouwens A, Rajapakse NW, Kawasaki M, Wood K, Dobson J, Baumann K, Jouiaei M, Jackson TN, Koludarov I, Low D, Ali SA, Smith AI, Barnes A, Fry BG. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8(7): e8070210.

Affiliation

Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. bgfry@uq.edu.au.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/toxins8070210

PMID

27399777

Abstract

Central and South American pitvipers, belonging to the genera Bothrops and Bothriechis, have independently evolved arboreal tendencies. Little is known regarding the composition and activity of their venoms. In order to close this knowledge gap, venom proteomics and toxin activity of species of Bothriechis, and Bothrops (including Bothriopsis) were investigated through established analytical methods. A combination of proteomics and bioactivity techniques was used to demonstrate a similar diversification of venom composition between large and small species within Bothriechis and Bothriopsis. Increasing our understanding of the evolution of complex venom cocktails may facilitate future biodiscoveries.

Language: en