Transcriptome, cloning, expression and evaluation of the biological activities of ...
| Grant number: | 17/16999-8 |
| Support type: | Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | November 01, 2017 - October 31, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Biochemistry |
| Principal Investigator: | Geraldo Santana Magalhães |
| Grantee: | Geraldo Santana Magalhães |
| Home Institution: | Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Assoc. researchers: | Eliana Faquim de Lima Mauro ; Inácio de Loiola Meirelles Junqueira de Azevedo ; Katia Cristina Barbaro Nogueira |
Abstract
The centipedes of the Chilopoda class are a group of venomous arthropods widely distributed throughout the world. Because they are well-adapted to urban areas, they often cause accidents in humans. Despite the lack of medical relevance, caterpillar poisoning can cause a series of unpleasant symptoms such as burning pain, paresthesia, edema and superficial necrosis at the site of the bite. A clinical study with patients attended at the Hospital Vital Brazil of the Butantan Institute showed that most of the accidents with cramps in the metropolitan area of São Paulo were caused by the genera Cryptops and Otostigmus representing about 90% of the cases. Symptoms induced by centipede poisoning have shown that its venom comprises a natural set of proteins, peptides and enzymes with a rich diversity of biological activities. In this sense, it has been reported in the literature that the poison of caterpillars contains several bioactive compounds, some of which have potential therapeutic interest. However, in spite of the significant pharmacological importance, the knowledge about the active components of the poisons of these animals is little known. Therefore, the poison of centipedes can be an excellent source of toxins still unknown and with unexplored biotechnological potential. Considering that the genus Cryptops is one of the most associated to accidents in humans and that to the present moment there is no literature on the toxins of its venom, in this project we intend to perform a transcriptomic analysis of the venom gland of Cryptops iheringi to obtain a profile of the toxins present in this species. The most abundant and interesting biotechnological toxin genes will be expressed in bacteria and their biological activities will be evaluated. (AU)