"Glycomics applied to the characterization of Bothrops snake venoms"

• Grant number: 14/12245-0
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Effective date (Start): September 18, 2014
• Effective date (End): March 17, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal researcher: Solange Maria de Toledo Serrano
• Grantee: Débora Andrade Silva
• Supervisor abroad: Vernon Nye Reinhold
• Home Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of New Hampshire (UNH), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/14651-3 - Experimental approaches in proteomics and glycomics applied to the characterization of Bothrops alcatraz, BP.MS

Abstract

Snake venoms are important sources of active biomolecules whose scientific and therapeutic potential has not been fully explored. The primary biological function of the venom is to facilitate immobilization and digestion of prey. The observation of the existence of variability in the composition of snake venom proteomes at various taxonomic levels as well as the relationship between venom variability and animal diet remain in constant discussion. The Bothrops genus is widely distributed in the Brazilian territory, and the species B. jararaca is of great medical importance in the Southeastern region of the country. Genetic and phylogeographic analyses described the existence of a monophyletic group, named Jararaca group, which includes the island species B. alcatraz and B. insularis in addition to B. jararaca. Geological events during the Pleistocene (11,000 years ago) resulted in the geographic isolation of specimens of B. jararaca in different island environments in the São Paulo coast, leading to the emergence of B. alcatraz, on the Alcatrazes Island, and B. insularis, on the Queimada Grande Island. The restricted availability of food in these islands led to the existence of diets based on ectotherms, for juvenile specimens, and birds, for adult specimens of B. insularis, while B. alcatraz specimens are limited to ingestion of ectotherms, mainly centipedes and amphibians, throughout all life stages, so that even in adulthood, these individuals physically resemble the juvenile specimens of B. jararaca. Most proteins present in Bothrops venoms are N-glycosylated, however the structural details regarding N-linked glycans of these glycoproteins are very scarce. Interspecies variability is an important feature in snake venom studies and the role of glycosylation on variability is poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of project is to investigate the N-glycans present in venoms from three Bothrops species of the Bothrops complex (B. alcatraz, B. insularis, and B. jararaca) using mass spectrometry and chromatographic approaches. The project will be developed in collaboration with Prof. Vernon N. Reinhold, head of the Glycomics Center, at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ANDRADE-SILVA, DEBORA; ASHLINE, DAVID; TRAN, THUY; LOPES, ALINE SORIANO; TRAVAGLIA CARDOSO, SILVIA REGINA; REIS, MARCELO DA SILVA; ZELANIS, ANDRE; SERRANO, SOLANGE M. T.; REINHOLD, VERNON. Structures of N-Glycans of Bothrops Venoms Revealed as Molecular Signatures that Contribute to Venom Phenotype in Viperid Snakes. MOLECULAR & CELLULAR PROTEOMICS, v. 17, n. 7, p. 1261-1284, JUL 2018. Web of Science Citations: 3.