Proteomics and deep sequencing comparison of seasonally active venom glands in the platypus reveals novel venom peptides and distinct expression profiles.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Non-clinical animal and bench research (CEBM Level 5 by design analogy)
PubMed 22899769 · doi:10.1074/mcp.M112.017491
What was done
Researchers compared transcriptomes (via RNA-seq) of in-season and out-of-season venom glands from male platypuses and conducted shotgun proteomic analysis on venom from three animals using RNA-seq-derived transcripts for peptide-spectral matching.
What was found
A total of 5,157 genes were expressed in the venom glands, with 1,821 genes up-regulated in-season. Shotgun proteomics identified 10 proteins in the venom, encompassing antimicrobials, amide oxidase, serpin protease inhibitor, stress response proteins, cytokines, and other immune molecules. Five putative toxins unique to platypus venom were identified: growth differentiation factor 15, nucleobindin-2, CD55, a CXC-chemokine, and corticotropin-releasing factor-binding protein.
Why it matters
This study maps seasonal expression changes in platypus venom glands and identifies novel mammalian venom components and putative toxins with potential applications in venom evolution research and therapeutics.
Limits
The proteomic sample size was small (venom from three animals), and the exact number of gland tissue samples used for transcriptomic sequencing was not reported in the abstract. Functional pharmacological or toxicological characterisation was not performed.
Cited by
- supports Platypuses possess venom.