POLYACRYLAMIDE GEL ELECTROPHORESIS AS A TOOL FOR THE TAXONOMIC IDENTIFICATION OF SNAKES FROM THE ELAPIDAE AND VIPERIDAE FAMILIES

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) for basic proteins may be a useful tool for the characterization of whole snake venoms and for the taxonomic classification of snakes of the Elapidae and Viperidae families. However, due to the close proximity of molecular weights among toxins bearing differ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Soares, A. M., Anzaloni Pedrosa, L. H., Fontes, M. R. M. [UNESP], Da Silva, R. J., Giglio, J. R.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:1998
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repositorio:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/211525
Acceso en línea:http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-79301998000200005
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/211525
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:snake venoms
basic toxins
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
Elapidae
Viperidae
Descripción
Sumario:Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) for basic proteins may be a useful tool for the characterization of whole snake venoms and for the taxonomic classification of snakes of the Elapidae and Viperidae families. However, due to the close proximity of molecular weights among toxins bearing different net charges, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) - PAGE was not able to provide an efficient differentiation. This article reports the electrophoretic analysis of several venoms from the genera Micrurus, Bothrops, Bothriopsis, Crotalus and Lachesis and shows a typical and distinctive electrophoretic profile for each species, with intraspecific and geographic variations. Even in cases in which extreme morphological similarities were present, such as between B. jararacussu and B. pirajai (Bahia jararacuçu), differentiation could be evidenced by PAGE. This simple and sensitive procedure may be applied to similar cases involving basic toxins.