Abstract :
[en] Venom composition varies across snakes from all taxonomic levels and is influenced
by the snakes’ age, habitat, diet, and sexual dimorphism. The present study reports the first
in-depth investigation of venom composition in male and female Bothrops moojeni (B. moojeni) snakes
(BmooM and BmooF, respectively) through three proteomics approaches associated with functional,
cytotoxic, and immunoreactivity characterization. Compared with BmooM venom, BmooF venom
exhibited weaker hyaluronidase, metalloproteinase, and phospholipase activity; stronger recognition
by anti-bothropic serum; 1.4-fold stronger cytotoxicity; and greater number of peptides. The increased
L-amino acid oxidase expression probably accounted for the stronger immunoreactivity and cytotoxicity
of BmooF venom. BmooF and BmooM venom shared only 19% peptides. Some venom components
were gender-specific, such as phospholipases B, phospholipase inhibitor, and hyaluronidases in BmooM,
and cysteine-rich secretory proteins in BmooF. In conclusion, we describe herein the first proteomics
study of B. moojeni snake venom and an in-depth characterization of gender-specific differences
in venom composition. Altogether, our findings not only stress the importance of considering the
snake’s gender during antivenom production, but also help to identify new potential drugs and
biotechnological tools.
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