Clonning and characterization of C3-like and Factor B-like complement genes from Loxosceles laeta spiders venom gland

• Grant number: 09/11490-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2010
• End date: February 29, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Immunochemistry
• Principal Investigator: Denise Vilarinho Tambourgi
• Grantee: Daniela Tiemi Myamoto
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/57898-0 - National Institute of Science and Technology on Toxins, AP.TEM

Abstract

The human complement system is composed for more than 30 proteins and many of them have conserved domains that enables to trace the phylogenetic evolution based on structures. The studies of vertebrate and invertebrate genomes revealed that many domains of mammals complement components are found in both deuterostomes and protostomes. The origin of the complement system probably have occured with the appearance of C3 and factor B (Bf), the only components found in some protostomes. Recently, it was identified, in the transcriptome of Loxosceles laeta spider venom gland, C3-like and factor B-like genes of Carcinocorpius rotundicauda and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, respectively. These findings suggest that the central components of the complement system can be expressed on venom gland from brown spiders, playing, perhaps, a role in the defense mechanisms. This project aims to clone and to characterize the C3- and factor B-like genes from Loxosceles laeta spiders venom gland.