Publications by authors named "Renan C Santana"
Proteomic and functional variation within black snake venoms (Elapidae: Pseudechis).
Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol
February 2018
Pseudechis (black snakes) is an Australasian elapid snake genus that inhabits much of mainland Australia, with two representatives confined to Papua New Guinea. The present study is the first to analyse the venom of all 9 described Pseudechis species (plus one undescribed species) to investigate the evolution of venom composition and functional activity. Proteomic results demonstrated that the typical Pseudechis venom profile is dominated by phospholipase A toxins.
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- Tarantulas are venomous spiders found in tropical and subtropical areas, with their venoms being a diverse mix of toxins that could be used in medicine and pest control.
- Despite the discovery of many toxins from various tarantulas, Australian species have been understudied, prompting an investigation into their venom profiles.
- The research showed that Australian tarantula venom changes as they grow, emphasizing the importance of studying venom composition throughout an organism's life to better understand its ecological role and potential for new drug developments.
The cytotoxicity of the venom of 25 species of Old World elapid snake was tested and compared with the morphological and behavioural adaptations of hooding and spitting. We determined that, contrary to previous assumptions, the venoms of spitting species are not consistently more cytotoxic than those of closely related non-spitting species. While this correlation between spitting and non-spitting was found among African cobras, it was not present among Asian cobras.
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