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 ...

Enlightening the toxinological dark matter of spider venom enzymes

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Enlightening the toxinological dark matter of spider venom enzymes

Abstract

Spiders produce highly adapted venoms featuring a complex mixture of biomolecules used mainly for hunting and defense. The most prominent components are peptidic neurotoxins, a major focus of research and drug development, whereas venom enzymes have been largely neglected. Nevertheless, investigation of venom enzymes not only reveals insights into their biological functions, but also provides templates for future industrial applications. Here we compared spider venom enzymes validated at protein level contained in the VenomZone database and from all publicly available proteo-transcriptomic spider venom datasets. We assigned reported enzymes to cellular processes and known venom functions, including toxicity, prey pre-digestion, venom preservation, venom component activation, and spreading factors. Our study unveiled extensive discrepancy between public databases and publications with regard to enzyme coverage, which impedes the development of novel spider venom enzyme-based applications. Uncovering the previously unrecognized abundance and diversity of venom enzymes will open new avenues for spider venom biodiscovery.

Dresler, J., Herzig, V., Vilcinskas, A. et al. Enlightening the toxinological dark matter of spider venom enzymes. npj biodivers 3, 25 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-024-00058-2