Purification and Characterization of Venom Components As Source for Antibiotics

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Purification and Characterization of Venom Components As Source for Antibiotics Send Orders for Reprints to [email protected] Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry, 2014, 11, 15-27 15 Purification and Characterization of Venom Components as Source for Antibiotics Leidy Johana Vargas Muñoza* and Sebastián Estrada-Gómeza,b aPrograma de Ofidismo/Escorpionismo, Facultad de Química Farmacéutica, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia., Calle 70 # 52-2, A.A. 1226, Medellín, Colombia; bFacultad de Química Farmacéutica, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia Abstract: The extensive use of antibiotics in medicine, food industry, and agriculture has led to a frequent emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which creates an urgent need for new antibiotics. It is now widely recognized that venom proteins could play a promising role against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Different proteins with antibacterial activity have been characterized from the venoms of snakes, spiders and scorpions in the last decade. This review summarizes the proteins and peptides that have been purified and characterized from different venoms with antibacterial activity. Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, snake, spider, scorpion, venom, peptides. 1. INTRODUCTION During the last decade, diverse proteins with antibacterial activity have been characterized from different sources like Bacterial infections are among the 10 leading causes of plants, animals, mammals, microorganisms and venoms death worldwide according to the World Health Organization (snake, scorpion and spider venoms) being the last but the [1]. The presence and current emergence of multiple- main focus in this review. resistant strains make the risk of these infections more threatening since a treatment becomes unreachable. In fact, bacterial resistance has been the principal aspect responsible 2. SNAKE VENOMS for increasing morbidity, mortality and health care costs of Snake venoms are cocktails of enzymatic and non- bacterial infections [2]. Therefore, research for new antimi- enzymatic proteins used for both immobilization and pre- crobials or antibacterial prototypes is continuously necessary digestion of prey. The most common enzymes present in for drug design and development seeking the treatment of these venoms include acetylcholinesterases, L-amino acid infections involving multidrug-resistant microorganisms [1, oxidases, desintegrins, serine proteinases, metalloprotein- 3] It is also of considerable interest to explore and develop ases, lectins and phospholipases A2 [6]. These cocktails have antimicrobials with a new mechanism(s) of action which can been tested against different microorganism; from the Vi- potentially avoid the appearance of drug resistance. Nature is peridae, the experimental data revealed that the venoms from a wide source of antimicrobial peptides since they are ubiq- Agkistrodon rhodostoma, Bothrops atrox and B. jararaca uitous as part of the innate immune system and host defense exhibited a promising antibacterial activity against some of mechanisms. They have been increasingly recognized as a the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria like Entero- critical first line of defense against many pathogens isolated coccus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylo- from various sources. coccus aureus [7]; while venoms from Crotalus viridus Antimicrobial resistance is a natural phenomenon which helleri, C. atrox and C. horridus horridus inhibited the entails an inherent risk, associated to antimicrobial drugs growth only from aerobic species like S. epidermidis, Pseu- use, comprising the intrinsic and acquired resistance. The domona aeruginosa, and Enterobacter cloacae [8]. Ciscotto intrinsic is referred to a non-genetic related resistance [4], et al. [9], tested B. jararacussu crude venom against differ- while the acquired resistance, is achieved by antibiotics use, ent bacteria. It was active against Gram-positive bacteria and occurs by mutations in the bacterial genome or by hori- such as Eubacterium lentum, Peptostreptococcus anaero- zontal transference of genetic information [4]. The most im- bius, Propionibacterium acnes, S. aureus and S. epidermidis, portant antibiotics resistance mechanisms are related with the and Gram-negative bacteria such as Porphyromonas gin- antibiotic drawing diminution, increase of antibiotic efflux, givalis, Prevotella intermedia, P. aeruginosa, and Salmo- inactivation or modification of antibiotic targets, hydrolysis nella typhimurium. Antimicrobial activity of this venom, was or any chemical modification of the antibiotic structure and associated with the presence of proteins like LAAO and/or any new resistance acquired by horizontal genetic transmis- phospholipase A2 due to variation in content and quality of sion [4, 5]. these proteins in snake venom. Moreover, the Australian elapid Pseudechis australis inhibited S. aureus and Es- cherichia coli [10]. *Address correspondence to this author at the Calle 70 # 52-2, Medellín Colombia, zip code: 050010. Medellin, Colombia; Tel: (0574) 219 6649; Several toxins from these venoms have been isolated and Fax: (0574) 2631914; E-mail: [email protected] characterized, especially L- amino acid oxidases (LAAOs) 1875-6298/14 $58.00+.00 © 2014 Bentham Science Publishers 16 Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry, 2014, Vol. 11, No. 1 Muñoz and Estrada-Gómez and phospholipase A2 (PLA2), enhancing antimicrobial activ- and physiochemical properties, inactivation by pH changes ity as seen below in this review. or freezing and others [12]. Now, LAAOs, have emerged as an interesting object of study for their enzymology, struc- 2.1. LAAOs tural biology, pharmacology and because of their relatively L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs, E.C.1.4.3.2) are enanti- easy purification. Recently, more and more SV-LAAOs have been characterized with distinct molecular mass, substrate oselective flavoenzymes catalyzing the stereospecific oxida- preference, interactions with platelets [11c, 13], induction of tive deamination of a wide range of L-amino acids to form - hemorrhage [11d] and apoptosis [14], equally antileishma- keto acids, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). LAAOs have been reported in Viperidae, Crotalidae and Elapidae nial [15] and antibacterial activities [10]. snakes, usually as FAD-(flavin adenine dinucleotide) or First reports about LAAO antimicrobial activity came in FMN- (flavin mononucleotide) homodimeric binding glyco- the early 70s when Skarnes et al. [16] reported the antimi- proteins. Flavins in LAAOs are responsible for the yellow crobial activities elicited by C. adamanteus LAAOs. However, color of snake venom and contribute to toxicity via the oxi- since then few LAAOs were isolated till 1990 and later in dative stress arising from the production of H2O2 [9, 11]. year 2000 when the interest increased in these proteins lead- Before 1990s, the studies in the field of snake venom ing to a rise in their isolation and characterization. (Table 1) LAAOs (SV-LAAOs) used to be focused on their enzymatic summarizes SV-LAAOs reported with antimicrobial activity. Table 1. LAAOs Isolated with Antibacterial Activity. Gram (G) Negative (-) and Positive (+) LAAO Isolated from Snake Venom Antimicrobial Activity Properties References Crotalus adamanteus Active against G() P. aeruginosa y E. coli Optimum pH 6.5-7.0 Skarnes [16] More active against G(+) Staphylococcus mutans, than C. durissus cascavella 120 kDa, dimer, pI 5.4 Toyama et al. [22] G() Xanthomonas axonopodis pv passiflorae Agkistrodon halys Active against G() E. coli and G(+) Bacillus subtilis 60.7 kDa, optimum pH: 8.8 Zhang et al. [53] Bothrops alternatus Active against G() E. coli, and G(+) B. subtilis 123 kDa, homodimer, pI 5.37 Stabeli et al. [11d] Active against G(+) S. aureus, G() P. aeruginosa and B. marajoensis 67 kDa, monomer, acidic Torres et al. [54] Candida albicans. Active against G() E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, P. B. moojeni 140 kDa, homodimer; pI 4.8 Stabeli et al. [21] aeruginosa and G(+) S. aureus B. pauloensis More active against G() E. coli than G(+) S. aureus. 65 kDa, homodimeric, pI 6.3 Rodrigues et al. [55] B. pirajai Active against G() E. coli and P. aeruginosa 130 kDa, homodimer; pI 4.9 Izidoro et al. [56] Active against K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and P. B. mattogrosensis 60 kDa, homodimer. Okubo et al., [25] mirabilis, Protobothrops Active against G(+) B. megaterilum and S. aureus, G() 110 kDa, homodimer Lu et al. [11c] (Trimeresurus) jerdonii E. coli and P. aeruginosa More active against G(+) S. aureus than G() E. coli Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus 110 kDa, homodimer Wei et al. [11e] and B. dysenteriae. Vipera lebetina More active against G() E. coli than G(+) B. subtilis. 140 kDa, homodimer, pI 5.3 Tonismagi et al. [23] Daboia russellii Active against G(+) S. aureus; G() P. aeruginosa and 100 kDa, homodimer; pI 8.8 Zhong et al. [24] siamensis E. coli. Naja naja oxiana More active against G(+) B. subtilis than G() E. coli 110 kDa, homodimer Zhong et al. [24] (Naja oxiana) Active against Aeromonas sp and G(+) B. subtilis and S. Pseudechis australis 142 kDa, dimer, 56 kDa Stiles et al. [10] aureus. A. hydrophila Active against gram-positive and gram-negative three isoforms: 80, 60.8 and Bothrops jararaca Ciscotto et al. [9] bacteria. 48.1 kDa, monomer 124.4 kDa, homodimer, pI Agkistrodon blomhoffii ussurensis Active against S. aureus. Sun et al. [57] 4.7 Active against P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae and Ophiophagus hannah 135 kDa, homodimer, pI 4.5 Lee et al. [58] E. coli. Agkistrodon halys pallas Active against E. coli. 60.7 kDa, pI 8.8 Liu et al., [59] Purification
Recommended publications
  • Phylogenetic Diversity, Habitat Loss and Conservation in South
    Diversity and Distributions, (Diversity Distrib.) (2014) 20, 1108–1119 BIODIVERSITY Phylogenetic diversity, habitat loss and RESEARCH conservation in South American pitvipers (Crotalinae: Bothrops and Bothrocophias) Jessica Fenker1, Leonardo G. Tedeschi1, Robert Alexander Pyron2 and Cristiano de C. Nogueira1*,† 1Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de ABSTRACT Brasılia, 70910-9004 Brasılia, Distrito Aim To analyze impacts of habitat loss on evolutionary diversity and to test Federal, Brazil, 2Department of Biological widely used biodiversity metrics as surrogates for phylogenetic diversity, we Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G. St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, study spatial and taxonomic patterns of phylogenetic diversity in a wide-rang- USA ing endemic Neotropical snake lineage. Location South America and the Antilles. Methods We updated distribution maps for 41 taxa, using species distribution A Journal of Conservation Biogeography models and a revised presence-records database. We estimated evolutionary dis- tinctiveness (ED) for each taxon using recent molecular and morphological phylogenies and weighted these values with two measures of extinction risk: percentages of habitat loss and IUCN threat status. We mapped phylogenetic diversity and richness levels and compared phylogenetic distances in pitviper subsets selected via endemism, richness, threat, habitat loss, biome type and the presence in biodiversity hotspots to values obtained in randomized assemblages. Results Evolutionary distinctiveness differed according to the phylogeny used, and conservation assessment ranks varied according to the chosen proxy of extinction risk. Two of the three main areas of high phylogenetic diversity were coincident with areas of high species richness. A third area was identified only by one phylogeny and was not a richness hotspot. Faunal assemblages identified by level of endemism, habitat loss, biome type or the presence in biodiversity hotspots captured phylogenetic diversity levels no better than random assem- blages.
    [Show full text]
  • Programação Do XVI Congresso Da SBBC E 10Th International
    July 25th- 28th, 2012 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1 Contents www.sbbc.org.br Scientific Content Welcome to ICCB 2012 SBBC Council and Committees ICCB 10th Annual Meeting Supporters Meeting at a Glance Pre-Meeting Educational Activities Wednesday Program Thursday Program Friday Program Saturday Program Travel Awards General Information Meeting Registration Meeting Policies Meeting resources Transportation and Hotel Map General Travel Information Important phone numbers RioCentro Convention Center Attendee Resources RioCentro Convention Center Floor Plans Exhibitors Exhibitor Listings Exhibit Hall Floor Plan Poster Information Poster sessions and assignment Presentation instructions Poster title list Authors Author Index 2 Welcome! Welcome to the heart of biomedical sciences! As important as the function of cells for life, cell biology is at the center stage of science nowadays, either through the promises in therapy strategies and biotechnology or through the development of new tools and concepts, not to forget its importance and influence on science education. The program is dense, explores the many aspects of this fascinating area, and counts on the contribution from internationally recognized experts. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to invited speakers, guests, participants, exhibitors and the staff working to the different committees. This is also a great opportunity to thank the Brazilian Society for Cell Biology (SBBC) and the International Federation of Cell Biology (IFCB) for the partnership, and the different government agencies and institutions that contributed for both organizational and financial aspects, especially FIOCRUZ. The ICCB2012 is a happy and timely coincidence between the International Congress on Cell Biology and the Congress of the Brazilian Society for Cell Biology, which was detected and worked out in 2004.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Characterization of Bothrops Marajoensis Snake Venom
    ISSN: 2044-0324 J Venom Res, 2011, Vol 2, 37-41 RESEARCH REPORT Biological characterization of Bothrops marajoensis snake venom Walter LG Cavalcanteα,¥, Saraguaci Hernandez-Oliveira, Charlene Galbiattiα, Priscila Randazzo- Mouraα, Thalita Rochaβ, Luis Ponce-Sotoλ, Sérgio Marangoniλ, Maeli Dal Pai-Silvaɸ, Márcia Gal- lacci¥, Maria A da Cruz-Höflingβ, Léa Rodrigues-Simioniα,* αDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, βDepartment of Histology and Embriology, and λDepartment of Biochemistry, Biology Institute Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6111, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Bra- zil, ɸDepartment of Morphology and ¥Department of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University, Unesp, Botucatu, SP, Brazil *Correspondence to: Léa Rodrigues-Simioni, E-mail: [email protected] (LRS), Tel: +55 19 35219536, Fax: +55 19 32892968 Received: 22 June 2011; Revisied: 03 October 2011; Accepted: 11 October 2011; Published: 19 October 2011 © Copyright The Author(s) Published by Library Publishing Media. This is an open access article, published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5). This license permits non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction of the article, provided the original work is appropriately acknowledged with correct citation details. ABSTRACT This study describes the effects of Bothrops marajoensis venom (Marajó lancehead) on isolated neuromuscular preparations of chick biventer cervicis (CBC) and mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm (PND). At low concentrations (1µg/ml for CBC and 5µg/ml for PND), the venom exhibited a neuromuscular blocking without any damaging effect on the muscle integrity. At higher concentration (20µg/ml for PND), together with the neuromuscular block- ade, there was a moderate myonecrosis.
    [Show full text]
  • Identificacaocaracterizacaopepti
    Dados Internacionais de Catalogação na Publicação (CIP) Sistema de Bibliotecas da UFU, MG, Brasil. S588i Simamoto, Bruna Barbosa de Sousa, 1989 2017 Identificação e caracterização de peptídeos da peçonha de serpentes botrópicas que interferem na agregação plaquetária / Bruna Barbosa de Sousa Simamoto. - 2017. 111 f. : il. Orientador: Fábio de Oliveira. Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Bioquímica. Disponível em: http://dx.doi.org/10.14393/ufu.te.2018.40 Inclui bibliografia. 1. Bioquímica - Teses. 2. Serpente peçonhenta - Peçonha - Teses. 3. Peptídeos - Teses. 4. Bothrops - Teses. I. Oliveira, Fábio de. II. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Bioquímica. III. Título. CDU: 577.1 Angela Aparecida Vicentini Tzi Tziboy – CRB-6/947 Dedico este trabalho aos meus familiares e amigos, em especial aos meus pais, minha irmã e meu marido por todo amor, apoio e dedicação concedidos. iv AGRADECIMENTOS Agradeço a Deus pela proteção e sabedoria concedidas, me conduzindo sempre para o melhor caminho. À minha família e amigos, em especial meus pais Ana Paula e Luis Henrique, minha irmã Carolina e minha avó Verônica. Obrigada pelo amor, educação, conselhos, confiança e todos os esforços dedicados à minha formação. O apoio de vocês foi essencial para a conclusão desse trabalho. Ao meu marido Mário, por todo amor, carinho, compreensão, companheirismo e paciência. Obrigada pelo incentivo, por acreditar em mim e estar ao meu lado durante todo esse tempo. Com certeza esse caminho teria sido mais difícil sem você ao meu lado. Agradeço ao professor Dr. Fábio de Oliveira pela orientação, incentivo, dedicação, confiança e amizade ao longo de todos esses anos.
    [Show full text]
  • CARACTERIZAÇÃO DAS ATIVIDADES CARDIORENAL E NEURAL DE Bothrops Marajoensis E SUAS FRAÇÕES
    UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO CEARÁ FACULDADE DE MEDICINA DEPARTAMENTO DE FISIOLOGIA E FARMACOLOGIA PROGRAMA DE PÓS‐GRADUAÇÃO EM FARMACOLOGIA INEZ LIBERATO EVANGELISTA CARACTERIZAÇÃO DAS ATIVIDADES CARDIORENAL E NEURAL DE Bothrops marajoensis E SUAS FRAÇÕES Fortaleza 2009 INEZ LIBERATO EVANGELISTA CARACTERIZAÇÃO DAS ATIVIDADES CARDIORENAL E NEURAL DE Bothrops marajoensis E SUAS FRAÇÕES Tese de Doutorado submetida à Coordenação do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia do Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal Ceará, como requisito para obtenção do título de Doutor em Farmacologia. Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Helena Serra Azul Monteiro Fortaleza 2009 INEZ LIBERATO EVANGELISTA CARACTERIZAÇÃO DAS ATIVIDADES CARDIORENAL E NEURAL DE Bothrops marajoensis E SUAS FRAÇÕES Tese de Doutorado submetida à Coordenação do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia do Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal Ceará, como requisito para obtenção do título de Doutor em Farmacologia. Aprovada em: 17 de Abril de 2009 BANCA EXAMINADORA __________________________________________________ Profa. Dra. Helena Serra Azul Monteiro ____________________________________________________ Prof. Dr. Nilberto Robson Falcão do Nascimento Universidade Estadual do Ceará -UECE ________________________________________________________ Profa. Dra. Arlândia Cristina Lima Nobre Universidade de Fortaleza - UNIFOR _________________________________________________ Prof. Dr. Alexandre Havt Bindá ______________________________________________________ Profa. Dra. Maria Alice Costa Martins Ao MATEUS, meu anjinho enviado de Deus. Tudo que tenho de bom recebi de Deus. Coríntios 1:4 Ao meu marido. AGRADECIMENTOS Á Deus, por mais uma vitória concedida. À Profa. Dra. Helena Serra Azul, pelo exemplo de orientação tranqüila, sempre segura e prudente. Ao colega Prof. Dr. Nilberto Robson Falcão do Nascimento, pela paciência, pelo convívio, e imenso enriquecimento com seus ensinamentos.
    [Show full text]
  • A Phylogeny and Revised Classification of Squamata, Including 4161 Species of Lizards and Snakes
    BMC Evolutionary Biology This Provisional PDF corresponds to the article as it appeared upon acceptance. Fully formatted PDF and full text (HTML) versions will be made available soon. A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes BMC Evolutionary Biology 2013, 13:93 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-93 Robert Alexander Pyron ([email protected]) Frank T Burbrink ([email protected]) John J Wiens ([email protected]) ISSN 1471-2148 Article type Research article Submission date 30 January 2013 Acceptance date 19 March 2013 Publication date 29 April 2013 Article URL http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/13/93 Like all articles in BMC journals, this peer-reviewed article can be downloaded, printed and distributed freely for any purposes (see copyright notice below). Articles in BMC journals are listed in PubMed and archived at PubMed Central. For information about publishing your research in BMC journals or any BioMed Central journal, go to http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/authors/ © 2013 Pyron et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes Robert Alexander Pyron 1* * Corresponding author Email: [email protected] Frank T Burbrink 2,3 Email: [email protected] John J Wiens 4 Email: [email protected] 1 Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G St.
    [Show full text]
  • Universidad Nacional Del Altiplano Facultad De Ciencias Biológicas
    UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL ALTIPLANO FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS BIOLÓGICAS ESCUELA PROFESIONAL DE BIOLOGÍA CARACTERIZACIÓN ESTRUCTURAL Y FUNCIONAL DE UNA TROMBINA LIKE CON ACTIVIDAD SERINO PROTEASA DE Bothrops roedingeri JERGÓN DE LA COSTA - 2018 TESIS PRESENTADA POR: Br. JHONATAN JOSE MACHACA YUCRA PARA OPTAR EL TÍTULO PROFESIONAL DE: LICENCIADO EN BIOLOGIA PUNO – PERÚ 2018 DEDICATORIA A Dios, por haberme dado la vida y terminar esta hermosa profesión, mostrándome su mano en diferentes circunstancias de la vida dándome a conocer los designios de la vida, la verdad y el camino hacia el a través, de sus sagradas palabras y sus principios. A mis padres Juan Cancio y Olga Mauricia, quienes me dieron la vida, protección y aliento en momentos donde ya no parecía haber salida por guiarme con sabiduría y ejemplo en cada momento. A mí querida familia Tania, Ana, Sandra y Axel, por su gran apoyo a cada instante y por los momentos inolvidables que afrontamos frente a las adversidades de la vida juntos y seguiremos persistiendo a las pruebas remitidas en el camino de este mundo. Al Ph. D. Luis Alberto Ponce Soto, gran maestro, por enseñarme que el camino de la investigación nunca termina rompiendo paradigmas, brindarme apoyo, asesoría, tiempo y orientación para el presente trabajo de investigación. AGRADECIMIENTOS - A mis maestros y maestras de mí querida escuela profesional de biología, asi como a la carrera misma por acogerme durante toda la etapa de mi formación académico profesional. - A mi presidente de tesis Dr. Dante Joni Choquehuanca Panclas, y a los miembros del jurado Blgo. M. Sc. Eva Laura chuca de Meza así como al Mg.
    [Show full text]
  • 2 Biology of the Vipers Conference
    ND 2 BIOLOGY OF THE VIPERS CONFERENCE 24-27 September 2007 Porto, Portugal ND 2 BIOLOGY OF THE VIPERS CONFERENCE PROGRAMME AND ABSTRACTS 24-27 September 2007 Fundação Dr. António Cupertino de Miranda Porto - Portugal Organizing Committee José C. Brito (Portugal) Miguel A. Carretero (Portugal) Scientific Committee Harvey Lillywhite (USA) Göran Nilson (Sweden) Juan Pleguezuelos (Spain) Xavier Santos (Spain) Wolfgang Wüster (UK) Marco Zuffi (Italy) Secretariat Bárbara Mendonça (Portugal) Executive Commission Diana Barbosa (Portugal), Silvia Carvalho (Portugal), Miguel Fonseca (Portugal), Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou (Portugal), Alexandra Lima (Portugal), Alexandra Marques (Portugal), Fernando Martínez-Freiria (Spain), Ana Perera (Portugal), Catarina Rato (Portugal), Raquel Ribeiro (Portugal), Sara Rocha (Portugal), Neftalí Sillero (Portugal), Claudia Soares (Portugal), José Teixeira (Portugal), Raquel Vasconcelos (Portugal), Carla Veríssimo (Portugal) 2nd Biology of the Vipers Conference, Porto (Portugal), 24-27 September 2007. Abstract Book. PUBLISHED BY CIBIO, Campus Agrário Vairão, R. P.dre Armando Quintas, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal. ILLUSTRATIONS BY Raquel Vasconcelos (Portugal) PRINTED BY Tipografia Camões. Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. LEGAL DEPOSIT September 2007 WELCOME Dear Participants, Eighteen years ago, a conference on pitvipers held at the University of Texas at Arlington, resulted in the publication of the highly acclaimed “Biology of the Pitvipers” (1992, Selva). Later, in May 2000, Sweden hosted a very successful conference on vipers, which also resulted in a magnificent publication, the “Biology of the Vipers” (2002, Eagle Mt. Publ.). These conferences were both so scientifically stimulating and pleasurable that we felt that it was about the right time to propose another conference. Thus, back in 2006, our group decided to suggest Porto as the venue for the second conference and found a warm support from the SHE Council and numerous researchers.
    [Show full text]
  • Body Size Distributions at Community, Regional Or Taxonomic Scales Do Not
    Global Ecology and Biogeography, (Global Ecol. Biogeogr.) (2013) bs_bs_banner RESEARCH Body size distributions at local, PAPER community or taxonomic scales do not predict the direction of trait-driven diversification in snakes in the United States Frank T. Burbrink1,2* and Edward A. Myers1,2 1Department of Biology, The College of Staten ABSTRACT Island, The City University of New York, 2800 Aim We determine whether trait-driven diversification yields similar body size Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA, 2Department of Biology, The Graduate distributions for snakes in local, regional and phylogenetic assemblages. School and University Center, The City Location United States, North America. University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA Methods Using total length and mass, we examine body size frequency distribu- tions (BSFD) across 79 sites and respective biomes to determine if these areas represent random subsamples from the source pools of taxon body sizes. Using QuaSSE, we determine if the most probable model of trait-driven diversification in the three most common groups of snakes in North America, the ratsnakes, pitvipers and watersnakes, is similar to the predicted regional BSFD. Results BSFD of snakes at the community, biome, regional and clade scales show symmetric distributions of body size. These patterns may simply be generated from random statistical subsampling. Speciation rates are not highest at or near the modal body size and simulations show that linear trait-driven models can still yield highly symmetric distributions of body size. Main conclusions In this study region, processes such as competition due to size do not alter BSFD from one scale to the other.
    [Show full text]
  • Snake Venom Proteins: Development Into Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Agents
    Send Orders for Reprints to [email protected] 4 Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry, 2014, 11, 4-14 Snake Venom Proteins: Development into Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Agents 1,2 3 4 5 Ramar Perumal Samy *, Jayapal Manikandan , Gautam Sethi , Octavio L. Franco , Josiah C. Okonkwo6, Bradley G. Stiles7,#, Vincent T.K. Chow1, Ponnampalam Gopalakrishnakone2 and Mohammed Al Qahtani3 1Infectious Diseases Programme, Department of Microbiology, 2Venom and Toxin Research Programme, Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore - 117597; 3Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80216, Jeddah 21589, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Research Centre, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System (NUHS), Singapore – 117597; 5Universidade Católica de Brasília, Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia UCB, Brasília-DF, Brazil; 6Department of Animal Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, PMB 5025 Awka, Anambra, Nigeria; 7Integrated Toxicology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702-5011, USA; #Department of Biology, Wilson College, 1015 Philadelphia Avenue, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 17201, USA Abstract: Infectious diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, accounting for approximately 50% of all deaths in tropical countries and as much as 20% of deaths in the USA. The emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains makes the risk of these infections even more threatening and an important public health problem thereby increasing need of new agents for fighting pathogens. In this review, the remarkable antibacterial properties possessed by various snake venoms (Crotalide, Elapidae, and Viperidae families) were discussed and in particular phospholipase A2s (PLA2s) that have emerged from various studies as potential in the last few years.
    [Show full text]
  • Herpetologia Brasileira
    Volume 7 - Número 1 - Fevereiro de 2018 ISSN: 2316-4670 I NFORMAÇÕES GERAIS A revista eletrônica Herpetologia Brasileira é quadrimestral (com números em março, julho e novembro) e publica textos sobre assun- tos de interesse para a comunidade herpetológica brasileira. Ela é disponibilizada apenas online, na página da Sociedade Brasileira de Herpetologia; ou seja, não há versão impressa em gráfica. Entretanto, qualquer associado pode imprimir este arquivo. SEÇÕES Editores Gerais: Marcio Martins Magno Segalla Notícias da Sociedade Brasileira de Herpetologia: Esta seção Délio Baêta apresenta informações diversas sobre a SBH e é de responsabili- Bianca Von Muller Berneck dade da diretoria da Sociedade. Notícias da SBH: Giovanna G. Montingelli Fausto Erritto Barbo Notícias Herpetológicas Gerais: Esta seção apresenta informa- Notícias Herpetológicas Gerais: Cinthia Aguirre Brasileiro ções e avisos sobre os eventos, cursos, concursos, fontes de financia- Paulo Bernarde mento, bolsas, projetos, etc., de interesse para nossa comunidade. Notícias de Conservação: Luis Fernando Marin Débora Silvano Notícias de Conservação: Esta seção apresenta informações e Yeda Bataus avisos sobre a conservação da herpetofauna brasileira ou de fa- Dissertações & Teses: Giovanna G. Montingelli tos de interesse para nossa comunidade. Resenhas: José P. Pombal Jr. (anfíbios) Renato Bérnils (répteis) Dissertações & Teses: Esta seção apresenta as informações so- Trabalhos Recentes: Ermelinda Oliveira bre as dissertações e teses sobre qualquer aspecto da herpetolo- Rafael
    [Show full text]
  • AMINOÁCIDO OXIDASA DEL VENENO DE LA SERPIENTE PERUANA Bothrops Pictus “JERGÓN DE COSTA”
    UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL MAYOR DE SAN MARCOS ESCUELA DE POSGRADO FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS BIOLÓGICAS CARACTERIZACIÓN BIOQUÍMICA, BIOLÓGICA Y MOLECULAR DE LA L- AMINOÁCIDO OXIDASA DEL VENENO DE LA SERPIENTE PERUANA Bothrops pictus “JERGÓN DE COSTA” TESIS Para optar al grado académico de Doctor en ciencias biológicas AUTOR Fanny Elizabeth Lazo Manrique Lima – Perú 2014 El presente trabajo de investigación se realizó en los Laboratorios de Biología Molecular, Microbiología y Biotecnología Microbiana, pertenecientes a la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, [Escriba aquí] A Dios Por la gran fuerza que nos guía A mis padres Alfonso y Gladys, por el ejemplo de vida, dedicación y cariño que siempre me fortalece. [Escriba aquí] A mi esposo por su compañerismo, comprensión, paciencia, apoyo invalorable a lo largo de todo este estudio y por todo el amor y cariño a mi dedicado A mis hijos Raisa y Renzo por su inmenso cariño, unión y comprensión y fuerza para seguir adelante [Escriba aquí] AGRADECIMIENTOS Agradezco infinitamente a mi asesor y amigo Dr. ArmandoYarlequé por su orientación, interés, paciencia, dedicación, facilidades para la realización de esta tesis, por todas sus enseñanzas y experiencias compartidas y por la confianza depositada en mí y en todos sus tesistas. Mi agradecimiento especial al Magíster Dan Vivas mi eterna gratitud por su cordialidad, apoyo invalorable y contribución en el desarrollo del presente trabajo. Al Magíster Gustavo Sandoval por su constante apoyo, colaboración y contribuciones en las investigaciones desarrolladas en el laboratorio de Biología molecular. A la Magíster Edith Rodríguez por su amistad y confianza durante todo el trabajo de investigación.
    [Show full text]