Individual Variability in Bothrops atrox Snakes Collected from Different Habitats in the Brazilian Amazon: New Findings on Venom Composition and Functionality

Author(s)

Sousa, Leijane F. ^[1] ; Holding, Matthew L. ^[2] ; Del-Rei, Tiago H. M. ^[1] ; Rocha, Marisa M. T. ^[3] ; Mourao, V, Rosa H. ; Chalkidis, Hipocrates M. ^[4] ; Prezoto, Benedito ^[5] ; Gibbs, H. Lisle ^[6] ; Moura-da-Silva, Ana M. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Inst Butantan, Lab Imunopatol, Av Vital Brazil 1500, BR-05503900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Michigan, Life Sci Inst, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 - USA

^[3] Inst Butantan, Lab Herpetol, Av Vital Brazil 1500, BR-05503900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Unama Ctr Univ Amazonia, Lab Pesquisas Zool, BR-68010200 Santarem, PA - Brazil

^[5] Inst Butantan, Lab Farmacol, Av Vital Brazil 1500, BR-05503900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[6] Ohio State Univ, Dept Evolut Ecol & Organismal Biol, Columbus, OH 43210 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: TOXINS; v. 13, n. 11 NOV 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Differences in snake venom composition occur across all taxonomic levels and it has been argued that this variation represents an adaptation that has evolved to facilitate the capture and digestion of prey and evasion of predators. Bothrops atrox is a terrestrial pitviper that is distributed across the Amazon region, where it occupies different habitats. Using statistical analyses and functional assays that incorporate individual variation, we analyzed the individual venom variability in B. atrox snakes from four different habitats (forest, pasture, degraded area, and floodplain) in and around the Amazon River in Brazil. We observed venom differentiation between spatially distinct B. atrox individuals from the different habitats, with venom variation due to both common (high abundance) and rare (low abundance) proteins. Moreover, differences in the composition of the venoms resulted in individual variability in functionality and heterogeneity in the lethality to mammals and birds, particularly among the floodplain snakes. Taken together, the data obtained from individual venoms of B. atrox snakes, captured in different habitats from the Brazilian Amazon, support the hypothesis that the differential distribution of protein isoforms results in functional distinctiveness and the ability of snakes with different venoms to have variable toxic effects on different prey. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/15170-0 - Characterization of mechanisms involved in the hemostatic disturbances induced by Bothrops atrox venoms from three locations of Brazilian Amazon
• Grantee: Leijiane Figueira de Sousa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 16/50127-5 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: scales of biodiversity: integrated studies of snake venom evolution and function across multiple levels of diversity
• Grantee: Inácio de Loiola Meirelles Junqueira de Azevedo
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/13124-2 - Variability in Bothrops atrox snake venom from Western Pará: implications for snake ecology and pathophysiology of envenoming
• Grantee: Leijiane Figueira de Sousa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate