Your browser version may not work well with NCBI's Web applications. More information here...
1: FEBS Lett. 2002 Sep 11;527(1-3):263-8.Click here to read Links

Toxicity evolution of Vipera aspis aspis venom: identification and molecular modeling of a novel phospholipase A(2) heterodimer neurotoxin.

Jan V, Maroun RC, Robbe-Vincent A, De Haro L, Choumet V.

Unité des Venins, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Cedex 15, Paris, France. vjan@pasteur.fr

We report the simultaneous presence of two phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) neurotoxins in the venom of Vipera aspis aspis, the first such observation. One is monomeric and identical to ammodytoxin B of Vipera ammodytes ammodytes. Its presence may result from gene flux after interbreeding between V. aspis aspis and V. ammodytes ammodytes. The second, a novel heterodimer named vaspin, is very similar to vipoxin of Vipera ammodytes meridionalis and to PLA(2)-I of Vipera aspis zinnikeri. It may result from expression of preexisting genes, the acidic subunit evolving from an ancestor common to ammodytin I2 from V. ammodytes ammodytes, which we also found in V. aspis aspis.

PMID: 12220671 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]