Publications by authors named "Sandy Pineda Gonzalez"
Unlabelled: While vampire bat oral secretions have been the subject of intense research, efforts have concentrated only on two components: DSPA (Desmodus rotundus salivary plasminogen activator) and Draculin. The molecular evolutionary history of DSPA has been elucidated, while conversely draculin has long been known from only a very small fragment and thus even the basic protein class was not even established. Despite the fact that vampire bat venom has a multitude of effects unaccounted by the documented bioactivities of DSPA and draculin, efforts have not been made to establish what other bioactive proteins are secreted by their submaxillary gland.
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- All toxicoferan squamates share a common venomous ancestor, yet it's unclear if their venom glands evolve separately or under common genetic control.
- Identical transcripts are found in both the mandibular and maxillary glands, as well as the rictal gland, indicating shared gene expression for venom components across different species.
- While certain lizards express antimicrobial proteins, most squamates show low levels of venom expression, suggesting that venom plays a minimal role in their feeding or defense, but may be valuable for novel drug development.