Venoms of Colubrids

Abstract

Advancements in high-throughput technologies in the field of venomics, coupled with the increasing emphasis on a combination of proteomic, transcriptomic, and genomic approaches, have resulted in the ability to generate comprehensive venom profiles for many species of snakes. Rear-fanged snake venom research has slowly progressed due to the difficulties obtaining crude venom and a lack of interest in snakes that only rarely are responsible for human morbidity and mortality. However, current research into rear-fanged snake venoms has demonstrated the existence of novel venom proteins and has provided insight into the evolution and origin of snake venom toxins within advanced snakes. These venoms still remain largely unexplored, and there exists within these venoms the potential to discover proteins of therapeutic significance or with unique characteristics. The majority of research conducted on these venoms has focused on protein chemistry and proteomic techniques (electrophoresis, enzymatic assays, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry), with fewer explorations ofvenom gland transcriptomes from expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Published research on rear-fanged snake genomes is not yet available, but such studies will provide insights into the evolutionary history of snake venom proteins and the regulation of toxin expression. Venom is a trophic adaptation, and as such, the evolution and abundance of venom proteins relates directly to prey capture success and organism natural history. Without this biologically relevant perspective, which considers the presence and evolution of rear- fanged venom proteins in terms of their biological significance to the organism, proteomic and genomic approaches could produce simply a list of proteins, peptides, transcripts, and genes.