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

Autor(es)

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]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: TOXINS; v. 13, n. 11 NOV 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 17/15170-0 - Caracterização de mecanismos envolvidos nos distúrbios hemostáticos induzidos por venenos de Bothrops atrox de três locais da Amazônia Brasileira
• Beneficiário: Leijiane Figueira de Sousa
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Exterior - Estágio de Pesquisa - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 16/50127-5 - Dimensions US-BIOTA São Paulo: scales of biodiversity: integrated studies of snake venom evolution and function across multiple levels of diversity
• Beneficiário: Inácio de Loiola Meirelles Junqueira de Azevedo
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 14/13124-2 - Variabilidade em venenos de serpentes Bothrops atrox no oeste do Pará: implicações ecológicas e para a fisiopatologia dos envenenamentos
• Beneficiário: Leijiane Figueira de Sousa
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado