Venom composition of the Iberian adder (Vipera seoanei) from northern Portugal reveals limited sex and size variation

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  Venom composition of the Iberian adder (Vipera seoanei) from northern Portugal reveals limited sex and size variation Abstract Snake venom is a complex and dynamic ecological trait, with high potential for intraspecific variation. In this study, the venom composition of the Iberian adder ( Vipera seoanei ) from the Peneda Mountains of northern Portugal was investigated to explore whether venom varies with body size and sex. Venom proteomes from six individuals representing juvenile, subadult, and adult males and females were characterised using LC–MS/MS, while individual variation was assessed from SDS–PAGE profiles of 18 snakes. LC–MS/MS identified 144 proteins, dominated by phospholipases A 2 (PLA 2 ), snake venom serine proteases (svSP), and C-type lectin-related proteins (CTL). Descriptive comparisons revealed contrasting individual profiles, particularly between the juvenile male, characterised by high svSP and svMP abundance, and the juvenile female, characterised by high ...

Venom Ex Machina? Exploring the Potential of Cell-Free Protein Production for Venom Biodiscovery

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Venom Ex Machina? Exploring the Potential of Cell-Free Protein Production for Venom Biodiscovery

Abstract

Venoms are a complex cocktail of potent biomolecules and are present in many animal lineages. Owed to their translational potential in biomedicine, agriculture and industrial applications, they have been targeted by several biodiscovery programs in the past. That said, many venomous animals are relatively small and deliver minuscule venom yields. Thus, the most commonly employed activity-guided biodiscovery pipeline cannot be applied effectively. Cell-free protein production may represent an attractive tool to produce selected venom components at high speed and without the creation of genetically modified organisms, promising rapid and highly efficient access to biomolecules for bioactivity studies. However, these methods have only sporadically been used in venom research and their potential remains to be established. Here, we explore the ability of a prokaryote-based cell-free system to produce a range of venom toxins of different types and from various source organisms. We show that only a very limited number of toxins could be expressed in small amounts. Paired with known problems to facilitate correct folding, our preliminary investigation underpins that venom-tailored cell-free systems probably need to be developed before this technology can be employed effectively in venom biodiscovery.

Paas, Anne, Josephine Dresler, Lea Talmann, Andreas Vilcinskas, and Tim Lüddecke. 2024. "Venom Ex Machina? Exploring the Potential of Cell-Free Protein Production for Venom Biodiscovery" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25, no. 15: 8286. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25158286