What killed Karl Patterson Schmidt? Combined venom gland transcriptomic, venomic and antivenomic analysis of the South African green tree snake (the boomslang), Dispholidus typus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Non-front-fanged colubroid snakes comprise about two-thirds of extant ophidian species. The medical significance of the majority of these snakes is unknown, but at least five species have caused life-threatening or fatal human envenomings. However, the venoms of only a small number of species have been explored.

Methods

A combined venomic and venom gland transcriptomic approach was employed to characterise of venom of Dispholidus typus (boomslang), the snake that caused the tragic death of Professor Karl Patterson Schmidt. The ability of CroFab™ antivenom to immunocapture boomslang venom proteins was investigated using antivenomics.

Results

Transcriptomic-assisted proteomic analysis identified venom proteins belonging to seven protein families: three-finger

SUBMITTER: Pla D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5335903 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature