Barietin, a snake venom vascular endothelial growth factor from puff adder Bitis arietans venom, increases the heart rate with minor effect on blood pressure in rats

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  Barietin, a snake venom vascular endothelial growth factor from puff adder Bitis arietans venom, increases the heart rate with minor effect on blood pressure in rats ABSTRACT Snake venom vascular endothelial growth factors (svVEGFs) are homodimeric proteins comprising two equal subunits bound by two intermolecular disulfide bonds. The main biological effects of svVEGFs are local vasodilatation, increasing of vascular permeability, and hypotension. Barietin, a svVEGF purified from the venom of puff adder Bitis arietans , differs from other representatives of this toxin family by its shortened C-terminal amino acid sequence. No data about barietin effects on hemodynamics are available. Studying those in rats we found that barietin at a dose of 1 mg/kg significantly increased heart rate, exerting only a minor influence on blood pressure. In this respect, it differs from other svVEGFs having a significant effect on blood pressure. We aimed to find the barietin active fragment which m...

Whole transcriptome sequencing reveals the activity of the PLA2 family members in Androctonus crassicauda (Scorpionida: Buthidae) venom gland

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Whole transcriptome sequencing reveals the activity of the PLA2 family members in Androctonus crassicauda (Scorpionida: Buthidae) venom gland

Abstract

Phospholipase A2 is the most abundant venom gland enzyme, whose activity leads to the activation of the inflammatory response by accumulating lipid mediators. This study aimed to identify, classify, and investigate the properties of venom PLA2 isoforms. Then, the present findings were confirmed by chemically measuring the activity of PLA2. The sequences representing PLA2 annotation were extracted from the Androctonus crassicauda transcriptome dataset using BLAS searches against the local PLA2 database. We found several cDNA sequences of PLA2 classified and named by conducting multiple searches as platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolases, calcium-dependent PLA2s, calcium-independent PLA2s, and secreted PLA2s. The largest and smallest isoforms of these proteins range between approximately 70.34 kDa (iPLA2) and 17.75 kDa (cPLA2). Among sPLA2 isoforms, sPLA2GXIIA and sPLA2G3 with ORF encoding 169 and 299 amino acids are the smallest and largest secreted PLA2, respectively. These results collectively suggested that A. crassicauda venom has PLA2 activity, and the members of this protein family may have important biological roles in lipid metabolism. This study also revealed the interaction between members of PLA2s in the PPI network. The results of this study would greatly help with the classification, evolutionary relationships, and interactions between PLA2 family proteins in the gene network.

Salabi F, Jafari H. Whole transcriptome sequencing reveals the activity of the PLA2 family members in Androctonus crassicauda (Scorpionida: Buthidae) venom gland. The FASEB Journal. 2024; 38:e23658. doi:10.1096/fj.202400178RR